Frostbite
by Mayeri
Summary: On his latest solo mission to defeat an evil ice witch, Gray Fullbuster is cursed with the witch's jinx, and Natsu Dragneel takes on the responsibility to nurse him back to health. Will this curse be too much for Gray to handle? NatsuxGray. Slightly possessive Natsu.
1. Chapter 1

Frostbite

By Mayeri

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Summary: On his latest solo mission to defeat an evil ice witch, Gray Fullbuster is cursed with the witch's jinx, _Frostbite_, and Natsu takes on the responsibility to nurse him back to health. NatsuxGray. Review if you want.

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Chapter 1

_Returning Home._

A dreary rain poured down on Fiore. Dark, grey clouds hovered over every inch of the bleak sky, blocking out any chance of sunlight. The weather seemed to have everyone in a bad mood, especially a certain guild named Fairy Tail.

Almost no one was at the guild today. Team Natsu sat around a creaky wooden table. Lucy impatiently tapped her index finger on the table top, her chin cradled in her small hand and a bored pout graced her lips. Erza immersed herself in leisurely enjoying her strawberry cake so she wouldn't have to join Lucy in boredom.

_Thump… thump… thump…_

A tick mark formed on Lucy's forehead and she snapped her head in a certain fire dragon slayer's direction.

"Natsu! Will you quit banging your head on the table! It's annoying!" she barked bitterly and the thumping noise stopped.

"…But Lucy~!" Natsu whined, "I can't take this anymore! I haven't fought someone in days! Let's all go on a mission and beat up baddies!"

Lucy sighed, though Erza spoke up, "Natsu. You know the reason why we cannot go on a mission," she glanced at the empty seat next to Natsu.

"Gray would be sad if he couldn't come with us. Wait patiently for his return," she ordered before taking another bite of delicious cake.

"Why do we have to wait for that bastard? He went on a mission without us anyways! We should do the same to him too," Natsu pouted, crossing his muscular arms.

"… I heard Master-san sent him alone on that mission for a reason. Wasn't his magic the only one efficient enough to accomplish the mission?" a small voice spoke up, catching the attention of the table. Wendy stood a little bit from the table with her hands fiddling behind her back.

Lucy perked up a bit, "Hey Wendy! What do you mean? All Gray told us was that we couldn't come with him."

Wendy nodded, taking Gray's usual seat. "Master-san specifically asked Gray-san to take the mission. Something about an evil ice witch trying to takeover a town where an old friend lived. Gray-san's magic seems to be the only type compatible enough to achieve success," she explained and Erza and Lucy nodded understanding.

Natsu snorted, "Hmph! I bet I could've kicked that ice witch's ass no problem!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Possibly. But isn't Gray taking too long? He left about a week ago… he should've been back at the guild by now—"

_Creak~!_

The large guild doors slowly opened. A huge gust of wind followed by a few splashes of the relentless rain stormed in. A hooded, concealed figure entered the guild. The person had his or her left arm in a sling.

The figure dragged his or her feet to the bar area where Mirajane stood cleaning beer glasses. Her eye widened a bit but narrowed at each step taken. Every rain-drenched footprint froze over, creating a thick print of ice. A bit of black hair with a tint of dark blue peaked through the hood and Mirajane visibly relaxed.

"Gray, is that you? Welcome back! How was your mission?" she asked slowly, confused on why he hadn't greeted Natsu, Lucy, and Erza first. He _always_ found them first one way or another.

"Tiring… is Master here?" Gray's voice was low, hoarse, and barely audible. He kept his head down and facing the ground. Mirajane had to lean in to hear him.

"No, sorry, he left for a meeting a few hours ago. I'm not sure when he will be back… can I help you in any way? You don't seem very well," she offered, glancing at Natsu's table. All four of them were staring at the scene at the bar. Actually, all eyes in the guild stared at the figure on the barstool.

"Not really… something to drink would be nice, I guess," he fidgeted, straightening his gloves.

"The usual? A snow cone, raspberry flavored?"

Gray shook his head, "Can I get something warm? I'm kind of… cold."

Mirajane stared at the boy, dazed for a second before shaking her head and preparing piping hot chocolate. _Well, that's weird. It's Gray; he never gets cold, _she thought.

Gray let his head drop on the bar counter, well aware of the stares he'd been receiving. His head was blaring and he just… didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. Not even Natsu or Lucy or Erza. Gray just wanted to drink Mira's famous hot chocolate and hurry home, hopefully to sleep off this… illness he acquired. _Damn ice bitch,_ he thought begrudgingly. It was her fault he was like this. A sudden chill ran down Gray's spine and he shuddered a bit. Someone was definitely staring him down intensely. Was it Juvia? _No, she would come straight up to me._ Just as Gray was about to glare down the creeper, a body stood in front of his vision. A bare chest with a plaid scarf swishing around to be precise.

Gray almost jumped, but contained it, glaring at the flame-head through his hood. It would probably be best not to take off his clothes… if that happened; he'd have some explaining to do. And that sounded tedious.

"Oi, ice princess. What took you so long?" Natsu asked bitterly.

Of course Natsu knew exactly who it was with that special nose on him. He knew what the ice mage smelled like a million miles away: vanilla frosting with a hint of cinnamon, a smell that made you just shudder in delight. He crossed his arms and frowned. He felt a little bad for the attitude since Gray seemed hurt from his mission (the arm in a sling), but that ice block made him wait an extra week to beat up bad guys!

Gray's eye twitched at the comment, "Shut up flames-for-brains. The mission took longer than expected."

Natsu smirked, "What? Too much for you to handle? Did the wittle ice witch kick your wittle ass?"

Gray tensed, his right hand curling into a fist, but gradually sighed, "Fuck off Natsu, I don't feel like playing with you right now," he spat, sliding off the barstool and starting for the door. _I don't even want hot chocolate anymore, I just want to go home and sleep… And to think I missed this guy…_

Halfway to the door, a warm hand gripped Gray's shoulder and stopped him, "What did you say, bastard?!"

And before he could retort, a flaming fist found its way to the back of his head. As if everything was moving in slow motion, Gray felt his head whine in protest, pulsating from the impact. His entire body lurched forward, tumbling into the door where he finally crashed upside down. Light glared into his eyes as his hood was thrown off. In an instant, Natsu was standing over him with a grin that screamed smugness. Until he took a good look at Gray's face, and that smile dropped as if he saw a ghost.

Half of Gray's face was covered in a thick layer of ice that seemed to be growing. One of his eyes turned an icy blue color while the other was still his usual dark mysterious blue. But, that wasn't it. To Natsu his face looked thinner as if he had been starved in the desert for weeks.

"O-oi, Gray, are you o-okay?" Natsu stuttered, not knowing exactly what to say.

Gray laid there for a bit trying to get the room to stop spinning. He felt a hand touch his iced forehead and jerked away. But it was too late. Ice gripped Natsu's hand, creeping up his arm as if it wanted to eat him. His arm felt like a heavy weight and the ice stung. Natsu attempted to melt the ice off, but he couldn't expel his flames. He blamed it on being so startled.

"Dammit Natsu, I said I didn't want to play with you!" he yelled, jumping up to his feet even though he was so dizzy and exhausted. Gray quickly removed the glove on his left arm, ripping off the sling. His entire hand was covered in thick ice. His fingernails were a mix of dark blue and purple. His veins looked like they were bulged and overflowed.

He grabbed Natsu's ice-covered arm and exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. Slowly, the ice receded into his hand. Gray's arm dropped like a dead log, unable to move anymore. His breath was ragged and the stare flame-brain held pissed him off to no end. Gray just shook his head before backing out of the guild and into the pouring rain. Natsu watched his frozen footprints in confusion and worry.

Lucy, Erza, and Wendy quickly joined him asking him questions, but for some reason he couldn't hear them. One thought kept screaming through his head like an alarm clock: _Gray's in trouble. You got to help him._

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Three days passed since the incident with Gray. Gray hadn't showed up to the guild since. The rain finally stopped, but the clouds remained a deathly grey color, permanently blocking out any sun. The guild was full, but everyone was talking in hushed tones. Gray was the main topic today. Gossip (aka. Mirajane) traveled fast.

Natsu hadn't said a single word about it since then, not to Lucy or even Erza (though she tried to beat it out of him). He was mad at Gray for some reason. Plus, if Natsuwent to go see him, it would look like he was wrong… even if he probably was. Natsu didn't want to lose to Gray though (Natsu logic)! However, the guilt, worry, and confusion were eating him alive. He couldn't get Gray's sickly face out of his head. Gramps said he would wait for Gray to come back to the guild, but he didn't think that was right. He felt they should visit his house…

As if reading his mind, Erza grabbed him by his scarf, dragging him out of the guild.

"Oi—cough—what are you doing?!"

"Natsu. We are going to see if Gray is all right. Lucy, Wendy, come," she commanded in a low tone. How could Natsu think Erza would just overlook this? Though he didn't fight her, somehow his emotions got the best of him. _Well, he wouldn't be losing if Erza dragged him to Gray's house, right?_

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Gray lived in a small cottage on the edge of Fiore, near a small lake and forest. He loved the tranquility and peace the lake provided… but it could get lonely out there sometimes. That was what the guild was for.

The site Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy expected was not what they were presented with. The lake was frozen over. The forest was covered in snow, trees frozen down to the last leaf. The snow seemed to be growing just like the ice that was on Natsu's arm.

Lucy quickly began rubbing her cold arms, "U-um, do we really have to go in there? The snow looks like it'll eat us…" she trailed off.

Erza glared at the frosted cottage before reequipping into something more winter-friendly.

"Natsu. We will continue into Gray's house. Your naturally hot temperature will keep you guarded against this freak storm. Lucy, Wendy, you will stay out here and try to stop the snow from growing anymore," she ordered and walked towards the ominous hut.

Natsu was genuinely confused. He came to Gray's house once in his life and it never looked like this. It wasn't cold and void of all life. It was actually kind of… nice. But he wouldn't admit that! Though, Happy really enjoyed the fish in the lake and Natsu had a ball chasing around some scared bunny.

Natsu quickly shook his head and followed Erza to the cottage. She didn't even bother with knocking on the door, reequipping a long sword and slashing the door into pieces. Natsu gaped. Now he was really worried. The entire inside of the cottage was filled with ice.

"Natsu."

Erza didn't need to say anything more. Blazing flames engulfed Natsu's hands as he pulled an arm back in an attempt to punch the ice to pieces. He's melted Gray's ice before. This shouldn't be any trouble, right? In a flash of mighty fire, the ice wall blocking the entrance melted into water and trickled out the door. Natsu grinned at his work and continued to melt the ice in their way. Even though he had only been to Gray's once, he remembered exactly where his room was. The next left down the only hall.

Gray's door was a pretty mahogany wood, frayed and cracked by the ruthless ice. _Honestly, what happened here? What's going on with Gray?_ Natsu thought, _maybe something really happened during the last mission? But why not just go to Wendy if he was in pain? Stupid ice-block! _ Natsu gritted his teeth. His thoughts were getting on his nerves. Why did he have to think so much about the ice princess?

"Hmph, time to give someone a wakeup call," he muttered to himself before pulling the door open.

Just like before, the room was sealed in ice. If you squinted, you could make out a figure on the twin-sized bed. A figure curled up in a fetal position, frozen in the ice he made. Natsu's eyes widened at the scene. It felt as if something plummeted into his gut. Immediately, the fire ignited by Natsu's hands increased to unbearable temperatures. Erza even stepped back a bit. He placed his hands on the ice blocking the entrance waiting for it to melt. But, it never did. Steam clearly entered the air around them, but the ice did not budge.

Natsu blinked in confusion, increasing the flames in his hands. No change. This damn ice was pissing him off! Natsu punched the ice in fury and something seemed to flash in his head. Words. No, a soft voice. _It hurts, _it whimpered. The voice was brittle and barely audible. Confused, Natsu punched the ice again. The bright flashed appeared again. _Help me._ The ice didn't even have a dent in it. Natsu wasn't sure what to do. He kept punching and kicking the ice in hopes to see a crack. The voice continued to appear in his head, usually saying it hurts or help me. Though, on the last kick, it screamed his name. _Natsu!_

Natsu crashed to the floor in exhaustion. His flames barely engulfed his fists now. His hands bled from the continuous punching and his feet hurt from the kicking. Erza quickly stepped in front of the entrance, a sword in both hands. She slashed mercilessly at the ice, but there wasn't much change. Only a small cut that was barely visible. Erza seethed. She was worried about her friend and angry with herself for not being able to help him.

"Wait here… I'm going to get… Master," she announced between pants and darted out of the house.

Natsu huffed, staring at the blurry figure on the bed. He crawled up to the ice again, this time placing a single hand on the ice. _Natsu!_

"… Come on ice-block… let us in," he whispered slowly.

"How can I help you? Just tell me and I'll do it."

Natsu was aware he was talking to himself. How could Gray hear him all the way in there?

"… Gray… please…"

Then it hit him. What if Gray was already… dead? Maybe this was how ice mages died, expelling all of their mage in a chilly rage.

"No!" Natsu screamed. As if he'd let that happen. Gray was his rival! He was his best friend! Gray was family! To hell with death! He wasn't losing Gray even if his life depended on it. He would never lose anyone ever again.

Natsu's eyes stung. He could feel his body temperature rising rapidly. He bared his canine teeth, nails digging into the ice. Natsu didn't know what the hell this ice was or why it was keeping him from being near his friend. But it was annoying. And he wasn't having any of it anymore.

Suddenly, hot flames burst from his body, engulfing him entirely. The cottage went from wet to dry to on fire in a matter of seconds. All Natsu could see was red. And that blurry figure on the bed. He pressed his body against the ice hoping he would somehow go through. Natsu pushed hard, crushing his body against the ice. The wooden floorboards underneath him broke under the force.

But he could feel it.

_Natsu!_

The making of water.

_Natsu!_

Bubbling and fizzing.

_Come closer!_

His feet slipping on the floor.

_Help me flame-brain!_

He was practically running now, burning a Natsu-shaped hole in the ice that slowly dissipated in the air. Natsu reached the bed. He was shaking and panting. He could barely see straight from the amount of magic he was using up. But that didn't really matter right now. He looked down at the figure, still covered in a thick layer of ice, lying on the bed. Gray's eyes was scrunched closed, his face contorted in a pained frown. His arms gripped around his legs as his forehead touched his knees. Just as Natsu thought, he really did look like he had been starved for weeks in the desert. This damn ice was sucking the life out of him. And he looked so cold.

Natsu stared at the frozen silhouette no longer. His body moved on its own, wrapping around Gray in an attempt to warm him up. He could feel his clothes dampening as the ice melted. Natsu's hands found Gray's wet ones and he sighed in relief when he could still feel a pulse. He could smell the vanilla and cinnamon wafting off of him, pulling a smile on his lips.

He did it.

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**A/N: **Yup, this was made on a whim. Hope you liked it and will continue reading it! Stay tuned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Frostbite**

By Mayeri

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Recap: Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy headed to Gray's house to get some answers on his disappearance from the guild. They are shocked to see his cottage covered in multiplying ice. Erza leaves to get Makarov when she is unable to free Gray. After emotional efforts, Natsu melted the ice and released Gray from his confinement.

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Chapter 2

_Blanket of Warmth._

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_ It was cold. It was so cold. Huh, so this was how normal people feel when they're only in they're boxers in the dead of winter. Wow. The shivers just kept running down my spine. It felt like all my energy was being drained from my body by some insatiable force. And if to make matters better, it was pitch black._

_Damn ice bitch. _

_A sharp pain ran through my chest. My blood felt like it was slowing down instead of speeding through my veins. The beating in my chest was erratic. But then, it just stopped. My heart stopped. Only for a few seconds… but it still stopped. I was panicking. But at the same time, I didn't care. I was panicking because I didn't care? I just… felt so weak… I didn't feel like doing anything anymore._

_ Then it was a smile. As if it were implanted in my mind. But I could see it. Big, red-lipstick lips grinning wide enough to see the poorly-masked evil. Her sharp, pearly white canines grew longer, and her lips were less luscious. And her long tongue was slithering. Then, she laughed. And suddenly I felt something again. Fear. Down to everyone bone in my body. Her laugh was eerie and malicious. Screechy, but low. Mysterious and foreboding. I wanted to get out. I wanted to get out of the darkness._

_ Then it was a punch. A fiery fist. Another image was implanted into my head: Natsu, but he was fighting… a block of ice? Idiot. Was he seriously that bored? Ugh. Another punch. Next, a kick. He was getting exhausted. Why must I watch this? Please. Someone, anyone, help me. The sharp pain in my chest felt like it was drilling into my heart. It hurts. But, I was forced to watch Natsu punch a freaking block of ice. Wait, was that supposed to represent me, or something? Bastard. Ugh, it felt even colder now. God dammit, Natsu. I-if you were going to be here, you could have helped me out. Oi, Natsu! Can you hear me? Natsu! Come closer! Help me, flame-brain! I'm not asking again…_

_ Then… it was… I wasn't really sure. But it felt nice. Like a blanket of warmth. And I wasn't cold anymore._

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When returning to the icy house, Erza Scarlet did not expect many things. She did not expect the frost-covered house to be crying under flames fueled by burning emotions. Wendy and Lucy were frantically trying to put out said flames.

She did not expect to run inside the house and find the entrance to Gray's room completely emptied of that frustrating block of ice. However, she would admit she felt relieved knowing her friend was free from the icy confinement.

Out of all of her findings, Erza did not expect to find two figures curled up on Gray's twin-sized bed. Natsu's heated arms cradled Gray in his balled-up position. His nose was hidden under tuffs of Gray's dark, damp hair as he slept in peaceful exhaustion.

"Natsu?" she finally found her voice after staring at the two boys in wonderment. _How did he manage to melt the ice,_ she thought.

The tanned figure wrapped in a soggy scarf stirred a bit before turning his head towards the door.

"Oh, Erza… what's up?" Natsu greeted lazily, his eyes were still half-lidded from the little slumber he was pulled into. He pulled a toothy grin as if he hadn't a care in the world.

A tick mark found its way upon Erza's forehead and, in a matter of seconds, an iron fist crashed down on Natsu's head.

"Natsu, you idiot! Why didn't you notify anyone you melted the ice?! We need Wendy immediately; Gray's life is in danger!" she roared before slowly muttering, "Sometimes…"

Erza stormed out of the room to track down the little sky dragon slayer while Natsu convulsed on the floor.

"That hurt, dammit!" he yelled, but not loud enough to have the Titania to come back and finish the job.

Natsu's eyes traveled from the door to the body on the bed. He dragged a chair from the corner—one that wasn't charred black—and sat right in front of the bed. He melted the ice, so Gray was supposed to be better, right? He should be awake and they should be insulting each other like usual (Natsu logic). So why did he still look just as sickly when he first appeared in the guild three days ago?

"I didn't expect this to happen," a low voice spoke, ripping Natsu's attention from the bed.

His eyes widened at the sorrowful, wrinkled face standing at the broken door.

"Gray's ice is stronger than that fiendish witch's… I believed he could seal her without any problems," Makarov continued, blaming himself for this situation.

"Gramps…"

"Natsu-san, Gray-san! Where are you?" Wendy's small voice rang through the house until she stumbled upon this room, Erza right on her heels with Lucy peaking inside.

Wendy shuffled to the bed, her eyes registering the sight before them. Gray still held his wet body in fetal position. He was in only his boxers as usual, though this helped Wendy examine him more efficiently. The ice started frosting over in parts, especially over his heart and hands.

"O-okay, um, I've never dealt with such a sickness before… But I have a few ideas!" she ended confidently, "We first need to move him off of this wet bed and somewhere dry and warm. He needs to be dried and covered."

"Then, moving him to the guild's infirmary would be best," Erza said, stepping up to pick up the unconscious Gray.

Natsu stiffened. He didn't want Gray to be put on display in the infirmary where the members can pity his horrible state. Gray probably wouldn't like that either.

"Um, actually, I believe moving him to Natsu-san's house would be best," Wendy argued, "If my theory is correct, Natsu-san, you're the only one who can keep the ice in check and from covering Gray-san again. Having him with you would be more beneficial… if that's okay …"

Swooping down to pick Gray up before Erza, Natsu flashed one of his famous smiles, "Of course—uh, I mean I still don't like him—but if it's the only way, then sure."

Though Natsu felt ecstatic. Taking care of ice-block! _Guess who will have to owe me big time after this!_ Natsu thought, looking down at his sleeping rival in his arms. His heart squeezed. _Gray really looks like shit_, Natsu thought. His mouth formed a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed. Natsu didn't like this.

"Natsu-san?" Wendy's voice pulled Natsu out of his thoughts. Everyone was staring at him with worried eyes.

"Ah, yeah, sorry I wasn't listening! Ha-ha."

"I should stay with Natsu to keep an extra pair of eyes on Gray," Lucy offered, reaching out a hand to touch Gray's forehead.

Natsu jerked back, tightening his hold on Gray and pulling him closer to his chest.

"I got it." The comment wasn't lighthearted or playful like the usual Natsu always was. He glared at Lucy with eyes of determination, competition, and… slight jealousy? _Lucy doesn't think I can do this! I'm responsible enough to cure ice-block!_ Natsu huffed in his mind. He twisted his body so her hand wouldn't reach the boy in his arms.

"O-oh! Er, yeah. Um, good luck?" Lucy stuttered, not knowing what to say after such a reaction. She didn't really understand the look he gave her, but if the problem concerns his family, Natsu might take this seriously.

With that, Natsu abruptly left the remains of Gray's cottage with Wendy following closely behind. Lucy, Erza, and Makarov blinked at the door in befuddled silence.

"What was that?" Erza demanded.

"I, uh, don't know…" Lucy whispered.

"Natsu's behavior was uncalled for. But, if Wendy believes so, leaving Gray with him must be the best choice," Erza sighed.

"I fear for Gray's life," Lucy dropped her head, "Has Natsu ever _taken care_ of someone? Besides beating the crap out of them?"

Erza and Makarov sweat dropped.

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Upon walking to his house, Natsu received a bunch of weird stares, mainly directed towards the bundle in his arms. Wendy told him to dry Gray off and send him straight to bed while she picked up a few things at a medical store and the guild.

During the entire walk, Natsu couldn't help but think he'd forgotten something. It shocked him when that something was sitting on his front step. Large, cat-eyes glared at him in mock anger. Happy could never be mad at Natsu… but he could sure try.

"Ha-Happy! When did you get back from your trip with Carla?! I thought it ended tomorrow!" he exclaimed nervously and slightly disappointed. Natsu was going surprise Happy with his favorite foods when he got back. He really missed his friend, but was elated when Carla finally agreed to go out on a fishing trip with him.

"Aye, I told you we were coming back today, Natsu!" Happy pouted. He had been sitting outside their house for over four hours! Though, Happy's anger dissipated when he saw just whom Natsu was carrying.

"What happened to Gray?" the blue cat asked in surprise, flying over to get a better look, "Natsu! What did you do?"

"What?! I didn't do anything… but save his life! Ah, that reminds me! We need to get him inside as quick as possible. He's frosting over again," Natsu replied and Happy only looked confused.

The dragon slayer hurried inside and up to his room, considering it was the only room with a large, comfy bed. Though, the problem lied within the room. Natsu slammed his door open with his foot and a nasty smell of burning rubber and rotted food assaulted his nose. His room was cluttered with mini mountains of dirty clothes, food, and charred unknown objects. Dodging mountains like a ninja, Natsu set Gray down in a chair by his… desk? It was probably his desk.

Natsu swore he saw something run across the room, but it could have been his imagination.

He shuffled over to the bed, ripping off the dirty sheets and stuffing them in the almost-full closet. They had a weird, orange stain on them. He set the bed with pretty clean sheets he picked off the ground and opened the windows to let fresh air inside.

"Hmph, you better appreciate this sleeping beauty," Natsu mumbled to himself, picking up a towel and sauntering over to the unconscious ice mage. Happy flew into the room, chucking old food into the trash in attempt to help clean up.

Natsu started rubbing Gray's hair with the towel, kindly and gently. It surprised even him that he could be so gentle with his sworn rival. He moved to Gray's face, dabbing his cheeks slowly. Natsu's eyes trailed the lines and contours that made up Gray's face. The small nose that was slightly red from his cold body. The firm cheekbones complimented by a dust of pink over his cheeks. His long, dark eyelashes only made him look cooler. Natsu trailed these features with the towel until his hand stopped at his lips. Normally, they would be pulled into Gray's famous smirk—that usually knocked Juvia out in an instant. Natsu concluded that he quite liked Gray's face and checked it off as another thing he would never tell anyone.

"Aye! His head seems dry enough," Happy piped up, staring at the strange look in Natsu's eyes, "Ne, Natsu, if you're hungry, hurry up and cook some fish!"

Immediately, Natsu jerked his hand back and shook his head. Did he look hungry? As if responding to the thought, Natsu's stomach growled. _Well, I haven't eaten anything since we went to Gray's house so…_

Natsu wrapped the towel around Gray's body and gently rubbed his arms, torso, legs and feet until they were all dry.

"Hey, Happy, can you find a shirt or something? He should probably wear something other than underwear, sheesh," Natsu asked, throwing the damp towel on the ground.

Happy flew around the room, looking under piles and inside the sketchy closet, until he found a long-sleeved shirt. It was an old and faded dark blue and probably too big for Natsu to wear. But at least it didn't smell too weird. Natsu pulled the shirt over Gray's head. The sleeves ran longer that his arms and the fabric stopped mid thigh. Satisfied with his work, Natsu picked Gray up one last time and eased him into the bed, covering him with five different blankets.

Natsu sighed as he plopped down into the chair Gray was previously. He had to watch the ice-block, right?

Natsu stared at Gray's rising and falling chest for about one minute before throwing his arms in the air, "I'm bored!"

"Aye…" Happy agreed crossing his little paws, "How about we go play outside?"

"Happy… I got to watch Gray, or I'll lose to Lucy!" Natsu whined, but was not appalled to the idea of playing outside.

"If we are right outside, then we'll know if something happens to Gray! Use your ninja telepathy!" Happy egged, flying through the air doing kicks and punches.

Natsu suddenly stood up, a grin wide on his face, "You're right! Let's go play—nin nin!"

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Natsu and Happy played outside from until the Sun was high in the sky to when it was setting deep into the ground. They got hungry pretty quickly and went into town to eat at one the buffets. Unfortunately, they were kicked out for eating too much. So, they played again, but this time by the river, running along the side like Lucy would. Though, that wasn't long-lived since Natsu got hungry once again and they found a new buffet to get kicked out of.

The two friends walked back—one flying back—to Natsu's house watching the setting sun. It was nice that the grey clouds passed already and the Sun was shining again. The mesh of red, orange, and yellow was a really beautiful sight to see. It was something Natsu would never get bored of watching. It was as if the Sun could burn away all of his problems, leaving a nice tingling feeling in its place.

Hopping up to the front door, Natsu and Happy were surprised with a burst of cold air in their faces. It was freezing! Natsu wondered if the air conditioning was broken until it hit him. _Shit!_ Natsu visibly paled, a sharp sinking feeling hit his gut like a bullet train and he sprinted up to his room with Happy right on his tail.

Kicking his door open, he felt a temperature of below zero. Shopping bags huddled together in the corner. The room was cleaned and spotless. And Wendy convulsed on the floor. A large chunk of ice was eerily crawling up her arm and latching onto her shoulder. Natsu's eyes glanced to the bed. Gray was nearly covered in a thick sheet of ice again. The bed was snowed over and his room had bits of frost here and there.

Natsu darted over to Wendy, flames engulfing his hands as he ran. He melted the ice before it could pass her shoulder and knelt down next to her. Her entire body shook as she panted heavily. Her face looked pale and void of life.

Before Natsu could even ask if she was all right, a small hand struck his face. A red print formed and Natsu blinked at the sky dragon slayer below him.

"How… dare… you… Natsu," she growled between pants.

Trying to regain her breath, Wendy sat up straight, looking Natsu dead in the eyes. She didn't use the formal honorific she always used with his name nor was her voice soft and high like usual. Wendy was angry, serious.

"It… tried to eat me. Gray-san's ice tried to consume me… my energy. As soon as it latched on to me, I felt tired and exhausted, magically, physically, and emotionally. I feel depressed, Natsu," she ended sharply and stared at her quivering hands, "To think Gray-san had to endure _this_ for over three days, I cannot begin to imagine the pain… he's lucky to be alive. This isn't some illness, no… Gray-san was _cursed_."

Wendy turned to Natsu once again, narrowing her eyes and clenching her hands into fists. She stood up, albeit a bit dizzy at first, but she stood her ground.

"And you left him here alone! How could you let him experience that again?! I assumed you would be a great person to look after Gray-san because you care for your family, your friends. If I had known… I would have gone with Erza-san's choice… but you are the only one who can melt this ice. _You_ are the only one who can save Gray-san. So, I will ask you again, Natsu-_san_. How. Dare. You?"

Wendy looked as if she were about to cry. She let a hiccup escape her mouth, however, that was all. Natsu was speechless. His head hung low, pink bangs hid his face from the shame. From the disappointing stare Wendy gave him.

"We-Wendy… It's my fault. I asked Natsu to come play with me… It's my fault, aye…" Happy spoke up. His bright blue ears were sagging down.

"No. It's my fault," Natsu spoke up, finally finding his voice, "Wendy, I'm so sorry."

He stood up from his kneeling position and walked briskly over to the bed. Natsu was so angry. But with himself. _How… could I leave Gray? Like I hadn't a care in the world? While he is fighting for his life?_ Gray looked worse than before. He was so pale… his skin was starting to look translucent. Clear like ice. The ice he was becoming. _I played with Gray's life._

Natsu scrunched up his face. He felt pained. Tears prickled in his eyes and his hands shook. Strong arms slipped their way around Gray's body, pulling him into a light hug.

And then he broke.

Tears rushed down Natsu's face like the ice melting off Gray's body.

"I'm sorry, Gray… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!"

"I was being selfish and stupid. Please… forgive me."

Natsu apologized over and over as if he were under a spell that could only be broken by forgiveness.

"I promise, from this point on, I will never leave you. Never again. I will melt all of the ice covering your heart. I will break your curse."

Natsu promised he would not screw this up. Because he knew now. He knew that someone important to him was in danger and only Natsu could save him.

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**A/N:** Thank God for Thanksgiving breaks from college. Stay tuned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Frostbite**

By Mayeri

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Recap: Natsu takes Gray to his place to watch over him. But being swayed by Happy's proposition of playing outside, he left Gray in the house alone. When the two came back at the end of the day, Gray froze Wendy and Natsu's room, as well as himself. Wendy was furious with Natsu and yelled at him. Natsu was angry with him and promised Gray he would break his curse and melt the ice around his heart.

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**A/N:** Hey readers! Thank you for the encouraging reviews! I hope your turkey days were stuffed with embarrassing-and-happy family time and a ton of delicious homemade food! Yup, the depressing moment on the scale was completely worth it.

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Chapter 3

_Dark, Alluring Eyes._

Another feature Natsu liked about Gray were his eyes, especially when they were open. Ironically, they were the first things that came to mind when insulting Mr. Droopy Eyes. Probably because they were the first feature Natsu looked towards when Gray entered a room. Those dark blue irises were so tempting to stare at, as if they attract their target's attention to them. Just ask Juvia. Whenever Gray looked at her, she'd faint. Well, she fainted from anything Gray-related. _It's actually kind of annoying,_ Natsu thought and rolled his eyes. Gray's eyes were also mysterious. They were very talented at hiding his true feelings, leaving Natsu's mind to figure it out. Natu hadn't liked the thinking part very much.

Two days had passed, and Gray had yet to open said eyes. Natsu completed everything Wendy asked him to—finally gaining forgiven in the process—and the only data they found were these: as long as Natsu was next to Gray, his magic countered the curse's icy takeover. And if Natsu touched Gray, Wendy could examine him without getting eaten by ice.

At least Gray looked better. He looked less pale. His skin seemed to retain some of its original color. His cheeks were flushed too. But that was probably because a state-of-the-art heater dubbed Natsu surrounded him. The thing that bothered Wendy the most was bolted onto his chest. An unnerving piece of ice in the shape of a crooked, pointy heart was latched over his left pectoral. And Natsu couldn't melt it no matter how hard he tried.

"It's probably the cause of the curse… or its material form," Wendy deducted, but shook her head, "I-I've really never dealt with such a curse before. Natsu-san, I'm going to take his case to Porlyusica-san. Please watch over Gray-san while I am gone."

And with that, the little sky dragon slayer was gone. Natsu, sitting in that same wooden chair, turned back to the bed and sighed. He wasn't bored anymore, just tired. Tired of this curse and an unresponsive ice-block. Natsu really missed his friend. _He leaves for a week, catches a curse, and is unconscious for who knows how long._ The fire dragon slayer exhaled again. He scooted closer to the bed, entwining his hand with Gray's. He was cold, but that was normal, right? As if in a trance, Natsu covered one of Gray's cool hands with both of his, bringing it up to Natsu's forehead. The flame mage hadn't slept in the couple of days Gray stayed in his house and felt a headache approaching. Well, how was he supposed to sleep? His friend was on the brink of death! _And it's my fault._

Natsu let his hands slide up Gray's arm, trying to heat his body a bit. He liked the feeling of Gray's skin. His arm was soft, but his hands were rough and calloused. It was an interesting contradiction that fit Gray. He was an ice mage that the girls considered hot, right? That was another contradiction.

Natsu let his hands trail up Gray's bicep, noting that it was smaller that usual. _Damn ice bitch,_ he muttered in his head. Gray wasn't going to be happy about that. What's a stripper to do without flaunting his muscles? It wasn't that he lost _all_ of his muscle mass… he just wasn't as ripped as he was before. His arms were more slender, his body leaner.

"Ne, Natsu? Whatcha doing?" a small voice piped up, shaking Natsu from his trance.

Two hands flew up in the air faster than the confused blue cat could blink, "Wah-ha-ha-ha Happy! You scared me! Ha-how long have you been flying there?"

Natsu's face felt like it was going to burn off. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he wasn't sure it was because of Happy's entrance or Gray's arms. He shook his burning head to clear his thoughts and turned to his friend, smiling nervously.

"Aye, I just woke up because our door got beat up by Erza's fist! Erza and Lucy are here to see Gray," he explained, motioning to the door. Both girls stared at Natsu in silence.

_And if this situation couldn't get any worse…_

"Of course they are," he muttered under his breath before stuttering, "He-hey guys… err, he's still asleep…" Natsu was looking anywhere but the door. He stiffened in his chair.

Lucy shook her head and entered the room. If it was Natsu, then he was probably just warming Gray up. _I just wish he'd stop pouring fuel on my fire of suspicions. He knows I have a… creative mind. Erza told me how she found the boys cuddling in Gray's house,_ she thought and shook her head again.

"Hey Natsu, how's Gray doing? The whole guild wanted to pile into this room, you know—"

"—Until I set them straight. I didn't want our guild to ruin Gray's health," Erza finished, abruptly interrupting Lucy.

Erza stared at me with a piercing glare and suddenly I was rooted to my spot. _Wait… did Wendy tell Erza about the situation a few days ago? SHIT, I'm going to die!_ Natsu spazzed out, sweating bullets.

Erza turned her glare to the bed and sighed, "He looks better, no?"

Natsu's eyebrows shot up for a moment, internally thanking Wendy and promising to buy her whatever she wanted to eat when she came back. _Erza didn't know! I'm spared!_

"Uh, ye-yeah… he looked really bad before, but I think he's slowly getting better. Wendy went to Porlyusica's for advice," Natsu replied, finding his voice.

"Ah, that's a good idea. Wendy's really giving it her all—"

Lucy stopped mid-sentence and sniffed the air, "Ugh, Natsu, what's that smell?"

Erza paused to sniff the air as well, her sharp nose turned straight to the bed and she narrowed her eyes.

"It's Gray," she confirmed and whipped her head toward Natsu, "You, have you given him a bath yet?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. _Wait what? Why would I do that? I haven't even taken his boxers off from three days ago,_ he thought as he stared up at Erza in confusion. And he didn't even notice the smell. Once Natsu entered his room, he automatically blocked out all bad smells that may erupt from sudden places.

"Uh?"

The Titania smacked her forehead. Lucy comically fell.

"You need to give him a bath! He can't just stay like that! Gray's not going to sleepwalk into the bathroom and take a shower!" Lucy huffed, standing back up, "Honestly, this is why I volunteered to help… wait! I didn't volunteer to give Gray a bath! I-I don't want to see him naked or anything, I already get to at the guild! …Wah, why do I keep talking!?"

A dark blush burned on the blonde's face and she covered it with her hands. Natsu stared at her in surprise. He was glad he jerked Gray away from Lucy at the time. He never knew she was a pervert.

"Lucy liiiiiiiiikes him," Happy sang, flying way above her head so Lucy couldn't grab at his neck.

"Damn cat! Get down here!"

"Alright, we will have to give him a bath," Erza sighed, though her voice was still commanding as ever.

She walked over to the bed and lightly ripped (if that was possible) off the blankets.

"Huh, wait you can't touch him!" Natsu sprung up from his chair, "you can't touch him or you'll get covered in ice."

Natsu sprawled himself over the ice mage's body. He hadn't known what Erza was going to do, but it didn't look safe. She raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. Since the world wants to prevent me from helping, Natsu, you'll have to wash him."

The pink-haired mage exhaled in relief. For a second there, he wasn't sure what was going o happen. Now, he just had to dump Gray in a bathtub for a second and the problem will be solved.

"And don't you dare just dump him in some scorching hot water, Natsu!" Lucy piped up.

"_Che_."

** "Natsu!"**

"Fine!" he raised his arms up in defeat before sitting Gray up on the bed and leaning him onto Natsu's body. Gripping the ends of Gray's shirt, Natsu shimmied it over the ice mage's head and flung it to the ground. Now it was just those pesky dark blue boxers left when Natsu froze.

Somehow, seeing Gray completely naked hadn't crossed his mind. Natsu was used to seeing him stripped to his underwear, but the exhibitionist actions never really crossed the 'birthday suit' line. Wait, would he have to clean—gulp—_it_ too? A puff of smoke erupted from Natsu's head and his quivering lips formed a thin line. He faced away from Erza and Lucy, thankfully, so they couldn't see his sudden monster blush.

"What is taking so long? Just rip off those boxers and get rid of the smell already!" Erza roared and Natsu flinched. As if controlled by Erza's impatience, Natsu's fingers found themselves hooked around the rim of Gray's boxers and his waist to hoist him up a bit. And all Natsu could do after the boxers hit the floor also was stare at that creamy white ass.

If his blush could burn any darker, it would be black. Natsu was surprised the rapid beating of his heart hadn't woke Gray up right then and there. _Oh, God, no. I'm never telling him about this. NO ONE at the guild (Mirajane) will ever learn about this!_ Natsu tried to guide his eyes anywhere else, but like a magnet they were attracted back to that tight, unblemished ass. And Gray's cool breath on his shoulder wasn't helping at all. It was cold, for god's sake! Why was Natsu heating up like that? Lucky for him, Natsu's body shielded his entire front.

In stiff, robotic movements, Natsu placed a hand under Gray's butt and one on his back and pulled him up into a childish carrying position. _God dammit, it's just as soft as his arms and fucking firm too, ughawah! _ With the speed of light, Natsu made it to the bright white tub in his bathroom in under three steps. His eyes were swirling as he set Gray in the tub. And yes, Gray's ass was added to that growing list of things Natsu was finding he quite liked about the ice mage. Natsu was about to crank the knob above the tub to scorching hot water until Lucy's warning flashed in his head. He grumbled, turning it to a cold temperature (**A/N:** warm to us normal people) and waited for the water to fill the tub.

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God, he was tired. Lucy and Erza stayed until the end of the day and Natsu couldn't even think about sleeping. And Happy ratted him out to Erza about what happened yesterday. And _yes_, he was beaten to a bloody pulp. _Thank you so fucking much, Happy._

Gray was put back to bed as soon as possible. Natsu had to close his eyes as he patted him down with a towel and shimmy some new boxers on. A fresh long-sleeved shirt was pulled over his head after that and Natsu's heart could beat somewhat normally again. The entire time, he couldn't get Gray's naked body out of his mind. It made him stutter and heat up every time he tried conversing with the girls. The only good thing that came out of their trip was that Lucy made dinner. Natsu hadn't realized how hungry he was. Scratch that, he hadn't realized he hadn't eaten the whole day! _Yup, there is something wrong with me. Maybe, I should get Wendy to check up on me,_ Natsu thought, sitting back in his chair once again.

Seriously, missing so much sleep was a crime. But he couldn't stop watching Gray. Natsu didn't want to make that mistake again. But… if his magic naturally countered the curse's magic, then maybe just sleeping next to Gray would be good. And this time, Natsu would know if something happened. Glaring at the fascinating bed, Natsu's delusional thoughts didn't sound so bad. _I mean no one has to know… Gray sure won't and Happy's downstairs. It's for his safety and so I can get some goddamn sleep,_ Natsu told himself. Easing into the comfortable bed, the fire dragon slayer was extremely elated about his choice as soon as his head hit the pillow.

And you know what would make it better? If Natsu could smell that natural scent he liked so much, to drown in vanilla frosting with a hint of cinnamon. Moving on their own, Natsu's arms slithered across the bed and pulled a certain someone a little closer. Gray felt pleasantly cold up against him… if that made any sense. It was funny because Natsu hated cold things.

Quickly, Natsu nuzzled his nose in Gray's hair. He smelled his shampoo on the ice mage, but if he concentrated hard enough—ah, there it was. Natsu pulled Gray closer until his back was against Natsu's chest. Heated arms found a comfortable position against Gray's stomach. Natsu noted that he liked that feeling. As if it would lull him to sleep, Natsu slowly ran his fingers across Gray's abs. A small giggle erupted from his mouth. Yeah, he liked the way they felt (checked off the Gray list).

Natsu felt a slight movement. A shudder. He waved it off as Gray was uncomfortable with him hugging like that, but something in Natsu's mind was bothering him to look at the ice-block. And he was happy he did. Because _they_ were staring at him—half-lidded in all their sexy glory.

Those dark, alluring eyes.

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**A/N:** My upcoming finals are going to be a bitch. So, I am apologizing in advance if I can't update as fast as I've been updating. Forgive me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Frostbite**

By Mayeri

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**A/N:** This chapter may get a little hot. ;) I tried to write as much as possible because I won't be able to update with my finals around the corner (damn chemistry/calculus/comparative literature/geography to hell!). Wish me luck and enjoy the story!

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Recap: Natsu hasn't slept in a couple days, watching over Gray. He continues to find aspects and pieces of Gray he likes a lot. Wendy forgives him and sets out to see Porlyusica for help with this curse. And with her departure, Natsu receives a surprise visit from Lucy and Erza. They talk and come to the conclusion that Gray needs a bath, which Natsu gives him, blushing and spazzing out in all of Gray's naked glory. After the tiring day, Natsu snuggles with Gray in his bed, coming face-to-face with a waking ice mage.

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Chapter 4

_Awkward Feelings._

The first thing Gray noticed when his eyes fluttered open was his incredible hunger. It felt as if his stomach wanted to growl at him, but hadn't the energy to do so. _Man, I could really go for a snow cone right now,_ he thought. The second thing he noticed was how exhausted he felt. His body was putting in extra efforts just to keep him awake.

The last thing Gray noticed was the warmth encasing him. And how he was unable to move. And how this room looked nothing like his. And that something or someone was sniffing his hair and running his or her fingers up and down his abs. Gray shuddered. It felt nice too. He wasn't one for heat, but it felt really soothing in that moment.

Using up the rest of his energy, Gray turned his head towards the source, and was quite shocked at what he found. Too bad he was too tired to show it. He wanted to scream at the flame brain and demand to know what the hell was going on, but his throat was drier than the Sahara desert. A dizziness spell waved over his head and he was left silent to stare half-lidded at the sleeping fire dragon slayer cradling him.

But Natsu felt it. His mind woke him like an alarm and he was ecstatic at the sight. Energy filled him in the form of happiness and adrenaline, and it wasn't stopping any time soon.

"Y-you're awake!" he squeaked in his _manliest _voice.

His hold on Gray tightened even more and he snuggled into the boy's body as much as he could. The idea of throwing insults between the boys went out the window. He didn't want to let go of Gray. Natsu was just… he didn't even know. God, he just couldn't stop his stomach from flipping and his body from heating up in excitement.

"Guh…" the ice mage managed to say, but it didn't really help.

Natsu immediately sat up and climbed out of the bed. He couldn't stop a muscle-paining grin from pulling his lips apart either. The slayer pulled the blankets up to Gray's chin and fluffed his pillow.

"Do you want water? Are you hungry? Wait right there! I'll be right back, promise!" Natsu blurted out before darting out of the room.

Gray stared at the door and blinked. _What. The. Fuck? _He hadn't been so confused in his entire life! Why was he lying in Natsu's bed (he assumed)? And why was the idiot being so considerate? Gray tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't move.

A few minutes later, Natsu zoomed in the room with a tray of chicken noodle soup, half a turkey sandwich, and two glasses of water.

"Earlier today, Lucy made all of this really yummy food and wrapped some up for you. You know, for when you wake up," Natsu explained.

He set the food down on the end of the bed before replacing Gray's pillow and pulling him up to a sitting position. Natsu grabbed the tray and put it in ice mage's lap.

Gray could sort-of tell Natsu was saying some other things, but he was fading out fast. He was too tired to stay awake. Like something was still sucking his energy away. _Oh_. Instantly, the images of battling the ice witch, Maeva, entered his mind. Those bratty children, the weird heart on his chest, this stupid illness all reminded him of just why he felt like shit. She was coming back, breaking his seal… through him. And Gray wasn't sure he would be able to seal her again in this condition.

Unable to stay awake any longer, Gray dropped his head forward. He would have dove straight into the soup if Natsu hadn't caught him.

"Oi, Gray! Don't fall back asleep! You have to stay awake! Oi!" Natsu shouted frantically. He rubbed Gray's cold arms with his hot ones in hopes that warming him up would keep him awake.

"Nngh," Gray groaned.

_What does he want? What does he need? Ack, I don't know! I'm not Wendy!_ Natsu thought hysterically, still rubbing the ice mage's arms. Natsu picked up a spoon and dipped it in the soup. The food was already chilling, and it would've been a waste to let it sit there. Maybe eating would help. Natsu brought the soup up to Gray's moist lips. The spoonful gave Gray's stomach the energy to irately growl from neglect, so Natsu continued the process until the bowl was drained.

The dragon slayer watched the ice mage in silence. Gray continued to breath heavily, his eyes were scrunched closed. Finally, he snaked a hand to one of the glasses of water and downed all of it.

"… Lucy's… a good… cook," he spoke slowly; Gray's voice was so scratchy.

Natsu sighed in relief. He pushed the tray away and wrapped his arms around Gray again. His eyes were burning again, but he held the tears back this time. _Gray's awake! He's really awake! _The ice mage stiffened in his touch, but relaxed against the warmth he was starting to like.

"…What? Did… you miss… me so… much?" Gray teased, even in his condition. He was tempted by the hug.

"Shut up. You owe me," Natsu growled.

His hold only tightened. It made Gray chuckle lightly. He felt strength returning bit by bit. _Maybe Natsu is a battery,_ he joked in his mind and rested his dark locks on pinkie's shoulder. After what felt like forever to Gray, Natsu retracted. He stood tall; hands secured on his hips, and smirked.

"Alright! I'm all fired up!" Natsu pumped his fist into the air. He didn't shout loudly, his voice was betraying him a bit. It was a little low, but Natsu shook it off and cleared his throat. He felt a little weird. _Ugh, the things Gray does to me._

Gray groaned, rolling his eyes. Not even a quarter of his energy returned, but getting home sounded like a good idea in the moment. Natsu was probably going to be annoying. And it would be great to sleep in the comfort of his home.

Gray attempted to stand up. His eyebrow twitched when he saw the state of his legs—scratch that, entire body. It irked him that his muscles were smaller than Natsu's now. It was like Erza sliced his man-pride in half. _Dammit Maeva! If I could seal your ass again…_ The ice mage felt feverish from the movements. How could standing up take so much out of him? A second after his feet touched the floor, Gray's legs gave out. Again, Natsu was there to catch him. Gray clicked his tongue and Natsu raised his eyebrow.

"Satisfied? You're really weak Gray, so you should just stay in bed until Wendy and I can make you better," Natsu chuckled in a soft voice that made Gray's heart skip a beat. _Yup, like I said, annoying,_ Gray thought.

"Nah… I'd rather… go home…" the ice mage managed to reply.

"You can't go back there!" Natsu panicked.

"… Why… not?"

"Because I said so!" _And you'd be really pissed you're house… got destroyed… a-anonymously!_

"You… can't tell… me what… to do," Gray attempted to fight back, but it was taking toil on his body. Every movement felt so energy-intensive. He was already slipping back into unconsciousness. Oh, but he was going to push Natsu off him before that!

A vein popped on the dragon slayer's forehead. Gray was starting to _aggravate_ him! He did not do all of this to be pushed away. By his rival nonetheless! Natsu's eyes started glowering. A red flicker passed through them and he released his hold on Gray, watching him collapse on the ground. Gray's head hit the side of the bed and he groaned. _Ouch. Great, now the room's spinning—eep!_ A hot hand grabbed hold of his jaw and suddenly Natsu was kneeling over him.

"You listen to me now," Natsu ordered, his voice was dangerously low. The room temperature raised a few degrees.

He did not loosen the grip on Gray's jaw and pulled the ice mage closer to his face. He was mad Gray was trying to leave him and go home. He was mad the ice-block was overexerting his body in its deteriorated state. Natsu gritted his teeth, making sure to glare daggers straight into Gray's eyes.

"You will get in that bed. You will follow my orders. And I'm going to take care of you," he barked, letting go Gray's jaw and watching him nod dumbly.

Pleased, Natsu picked the speechless mage up from under his arms sat him back on the bed. He smirked. _Haha, I won!_ Though, he hadn't meant to go so far. _Oh well, whatever works! _Natsu shrugged to himself. Making Gray act obediently excited him. Yeah, Natsu liked the challenge Gray brought to the guild, but this was _new_. He felt like he was exploring fresh territory and boundaries. Glancing at the quiet ice mage, Natsu noted his pondering face. Gray looked like he was off in his own world. Though, the drowsiness and dreariness never left his face.

Natsu's heart squeezed. He furrowed his eyebrows. Unknowing of the reason, he wanted to hug the ice mage again. Hooking his hand in the small of Gray's back, he forced the dark-haired man out of his thoughts, arching his body into his chest.

"Dammit, Natsu… quit…" Gray's voice slowly trailed off. His head fell onto Natsu's chest and a soft exhale escaped his lips, eyes rolled into the back of his head.

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After easing Gray back into the bed again, Natsu sat down in his little chair and thought. Yes, that sentence sounded weird even to Natsu. He didn't think. It wasn't his forte. However, this subject was Gray. These reactions and feelings… were they normal to have when taking care of someone? Natsu hadn't spilled open so many emotions in the last few days than what he would have in months. Being happy for Gray's recovery was a given. Natsu wouldn't deny that feeling because it was normal. _Even though Gray is an ass, and a stripper, and a douche… wait where am I going with this? Oh yeah, he's still a friend… a family member_. But, what about all the hugging and the cuddly sleeping in the bed? Getting mad at Lucy when she wanted to help wasn't normal either.

Natsu knew he wanted to help Gray. He knew that he didn't mind watching Gray or taking care of him. He actually liked it. Was that weird? And when the ice mage woke up, Natsu thought he was going to die from rapturous relief. He wasn't tired anymore and his adrenaline was on an all time high. _Hmm, maybe Gray's curse is affecting me too?_ Natsu thought. Except, when Wendy was attacked by ice, she felt sad and depressed, not happy with a side of bipolar switches between anger and jealousy. _Gah! This is too confusing! I hate thinking! _Natsu gripped his pink hair in frustration. _I don't care anymore. Whatever it is, I'll think about it after Gray gets better._

.

_ I walked into the dark cave with confidence. The surface of the cave was coated in a thick layer of ice. I had one mission. One quest. 'Seal the witch.'_

_ "Hmm, just my kind of style," I hummed._

_ Wait. A. Minute. I abruptly stopped walking. Didn't I already…? Everything seemed so familiar… I thought I had already done it before…_

_ Strolling deeper inside, a light peeked out from behind a corner, leading to a large cavern. The entire room sparkled from the light bouncing off the ice. A large throne sculpted out of ice that sat right in the middle._

_ "Hello Gray. Fancy meeting you here," a voice spoke up. I shuddered. This voice… it was beautiful, familiar._

_ And it belonged to such a beautiful lady. Long black hair flowed down in natural bouncy curls. Porcelain skin was reluctantly hidden under a skin-tight, long black dress with a slit at the hip. And, God! Those full, boisterous breasts! They were just dying to pop out of that revealing dress. The lady smiled mystifyingly, her plump lips stained blood red from lipstick (I assumed). The light made her skin sparkle and outlined her hourglass figure._

_ I groaned, "Dammit."_

_ I had already been there. I had already done this. She, this sexy thing… we've already met._

_ She laughed. It was cute and sent jitters down my spine. I hadn't known I was already under a spell. I hadn't known I was under an illusion as soon as I entered the ominous cave. But, she couldn't fool me twice._

_ "Aw, don't be like that. We can still have some fun," her smile grew wider and my heartbeat sped up._

_ I shook my head. Get a hold of yourself, man!_

_ "What do you want? Is this… really happening or am I just dreaming?" I snapped._

_ Then, she stopped smiling, "You are no fun."_

_ I raised an eyebrow, "No shit."_

_ Then, I blinked. The room was just as dark as when I arrived at the cave a week ago. A small stream of light settled in the middle of the cave. And my shirt was gone, but that was nothing new._

_ Pain shot through my body like a knife, though there wasn't a single cut on me. Immediately after I felt it, the pain disappeared. Though, a numb feeling pulsed over my chest. Something was dripping onto my face. Water maybe? I tried to move, but my wrists were cuffed to something and it was too damn dark to see what it was._

_ "Hmm, I thought you would be happy to see me again. To know how you failed to seal me properly," a voice spoke again. Though this time it was revolting. My stomach plummeted. My mouth was dry._

_ A clicking sound filled the room as __**it**__ stepped forward. Maeva the Illusionist, as cold as the black ice she was born from. She specialized in some forbidden ice magic and illusionary enchantment. But, her illusions never worked twice on the same person. My eyes trailed towards the clicking noise, nearly shriveling up at the sight stepping into the light. The beautiful illusion was long gone._

_ "Why are you here?!" I shouted, trying the keep the bile from rising._

_ She laughed and I cringed at the noise. Viscous black liquid oozed off her murky skin, sizzling against the icy floor. Nasty eyes like slits bore into my vulnerable figure._

_ "Because we are linked at the heart, my dear Gray. Didn't you realize it when my signature mark started sucking on your delicious, tender skin?" she asked, her rusted yellow teeth gleamed in the light, "I will always be with you. Feeding off of you until you can offer no more. And when that time comes, I will be reborn."_

_ She cackled, stepping out of the light and into the darkness that created her._

_ Then, the pain returned._

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"Gray! Oi, wake up idiot! Gray!" Natsu shouted frantically, shaking the convulsing body on the bed.

Out of nowhere, Gray started thrashing and seizing up. He was sweating bullets… but it wasn't normal. He was sweating ice. His skin was so cold. Yet, the ice hadn't covered his body.

Natsu didn't know what to do.

"Get out of my way, you imbecile!" a strong voice snapped before a small hand pushed Natsu away from the bed.

He staggered to the side, ready to beat the shit out of this person. _Who the hell do you think you are—oh. OH!_

"Old lady!"

"**Excuse me?**"

"Erm, P-Porlysucia-san!"

Porlysucia shook her head, her pink bangs waving along with her, while she mumbled something about lesser, idiotic beings. Focusing on her new patient, she scanned his body for something to work with. Her eyes narrowed on the oddly shaped bulge on Gray's chest before pulling his shirt up. The crooked heart-shaped ice turned a swirling black color. Porlysucia clicked her tongue.

"This isn't a normal curse. It is a type of Forbidden Succubus magic. Ice-derived, I assume," she deducted and raised a finger to trace the heart.

"Wait! Don't touch him! You'll get eaten—"

"Be quiet. What do you take me for? An utter fool?" the medicinal advisor spat, "I have already taken the appropriate precautions."

Instantly, her finger glowed a faded blue color. She outlined the heart. The ice latched onto the boy's skin as if it were growing out of him. Porlysucia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vile. There was a black, slimy liquid swishing inside. She added a few herbs from her other pocket before shaking the vile violently. The liquid instantly turned the faded blue color.

Carefully, she raised Gray's quivering head. Her entire arm was covered in the faded glow. Bits of black ice huddled around her fingertips, but were not able to pass through the glow. She lifted the vial to his lips, slowly spilling it into his mouth and down his throat. After all of the vial's contents were emptied, Gray gradually calmed down.

"Wendy was spot-on about your magic. To help combat this type of curse, an unique fire magic is necessary," Porlysucia started, rolling her eyes at Natsu's confused face, "What? Did you not find it weird when you were the only one able to counter the ice?"

Natsu shrugged. He really hadn't thought about it. He was just happy he was able to melt the ice. He was so happy when he could dissipate through this ice. Because it wasn't Gray's ice. It was cold and black. _Well, Gray's ice is cold… ice is cold in general… but it never made anyone feel callous and hollow on the inside._ The medicinal advisor retrieved another small vile from her pocket. The liquid was like water, but a fiery red color.

"Drink this. It will enhance your magic's effect on the curse, hopefully stabilizing the effects for now," Porlysucia explained, handing over the vial.

Natsu didn't think twice before downing the liquid. Immediately after finishing, his face scrunched up and he nearly gagged. It tasted worse then that time Happy dared him to lick the bottom of Gildarts' shoes.

"Guh, that was disgusting!"

"Shut up. Now, I need to you make contact between both solutions. Activate your fire magic; it will be the link," the medicinal advisor ordered and Natsu blinked in confusion. She ignored him and walked back over to her patient. In swift movements, Porlysucia pressed her thumb and index finger on Gray's neck, forcibly waking him up.

Gray's eyes bulged open, frantically darting from side-to-side. He was panting again, and the color was drained completely from his face.

"For this to work, the patient needs to be awake. Both magic types need to be alert and mingling," Porlysucia snapped her head towards Natsu, who was still standing awkwardly in confusion, "Boy! Go make the connection!"

"How am I supposed to do that?!"

"Through lip contact! Must I spell everything out for you? Hurry while the ingredients are still fresh and active!" she grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the equally confused Gray.

Well, Gray wasn't really paying attention to the two bodies in the room. The pain from his dreams was still occurring. It felt like teeth were sinking into his chest and extracting out his life. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body lurched forward uncontrollably.

"Hurry up!"

_'Dammit all to hell!' _ Natsu gritted his teeth. He didn't understand what this woman wanted, but all he had to do was kiss Gray, right? Then he'd do it! Natsu crawled over Gray's convulsing body, gently cupping his scrunched up face with his hands. Without blinking, Natsu crashed their lips together.

Gray snapped his eyes open at the warm contact. He felt something warm flow through him, making his body go limp. Without permission, his ice magic churned and whirled in his stomach, expelling a cool fog in the room. Gray didn't understand what was going on, but he felt… great. Giddy warmth filled his body and clashed with the sinking pain, causing his body to go numb.

Natsu felt something coursing through his body and expelled his fire magic without even blinking. He felt as if electricity was running up his body and tickling his arms. His heart was beating erratically. His mind was foggy, eyes dizzy and clouded. He didn't understand why he felt so… pleasured, but he didn't want it to stop. He nibbled on Gray's bottom lip, loving the feeling of it under his teeth. Slowly, he ran his heated tongue against the ice mage's lips, receiving a quiver as the muscles loosened up enough for Natsu to enter.

Natsu chuckled at the sensation of roaming through Gray's mouth, earning another shudder in the process. It was wet and foreign to him. And he loved it. Finding Gray's cool tongue, he sucked on it until a sweet noise rang in his ears. Gray's _moan_. Natsu momentarily paused. Gray's tongue suddenly licked Natsu's and the fire dragon slayer pulled back. A thin line of saliva connected their glistening lips.

Natsu swallowed, noting the dryness of his throat. He wheezed for air. His face was pulsing from the amount blood rushing to his head. And his wide eyes were glued to the gasping mage under him. Natsu clamped his eyes shut for a moment, trying to calm down. But, it wasn't working. He was feeling so… _salacious_. His hands shook as they slid under Gray's shirt, pulling it over the ice mage's head and flinging it to the floor. Natsu let his fingers roam across Gray's chest, stopping at the black heart. Instantly, he felt angry. He clenched his hands into fists, steam erupting from them. Somehow, he felt like that heart was connecting Gray to something else. Someone else. And Natsu didn't like it.

The heart was branching out in vines headed in every direction. Swooping down to Gray's chest, Nastu, let his tongue run across one of the icy vines, raising the wet muscle a few hundred degrees in the process. The vines hissed under the heat, steaming into thin air. Gray lurched forward, his hand gripping the bed sheets. Natsu tongue trailed every vine, slowly and gradually until they were all gone. His eyes flickered up Gray's face, lips curving into a smirk. Gray's cheeks flushed tomato red. His lips were slightly puffy and red and still wet from the kiss. His face glistened in icy sweat and his dark eyes quivered in want under Natsu's gaze. Natsu was about to recapture those lips until someone pulled him off the bed by his scarf.

"Alright! That's enough. I've had enough! The medicine should stabilize him for a good amount of time," Porlysucia intervened. She shook her head; nevertheless, a light blush dusted her cheeks.

"In the mean time, just continue stabilizing him for now. Wendy and I will work out a spell to break this curse; she is already working on one back at my clinic."

Porlysucia left Natsu's house. The fire dragon slayer finally calmed down, exhaling slowly and resting his head on the ground. He listened to Gray's breathing as it went from erratic to a constant rhythm. He was asleep. Natsu continued to stare at the ceiling, his mind drowning in confusion.

_…What just happened?_

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**A/N: **Hope you liked it. The next chapter will probably be about Gray's first trip back to the guild. What do you think will happen? Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

**Frostbite**

By Mayeri

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**A/N: I hope everyone is having a wonderful winter break (I know I am!). Fuck yes! A break! Ahem… thank you for reading and following this story (and for the reviews!). This chapter was actually really hard to write for some reason. Maybe writer's block? I don't know, but it's finished now! Enjoy.**

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Recap: Gray finally woke up! Natsu is overjoyed and a little confused from his emotions for Gray. Gray gets a visit from Maeva, the ice witch he sealed, in his dream. She tells him that she will continue to suck his energy away until she breaks the seal. During the visit, Gray experiences an enormous amount of pain and Natsu doesn't know what to do. Luckily, Porlysucia visits and helps stabilize Gray's curse. But in order to activate the stabilizing medicine, Natsu had to kiss the ice mage. And things got a little carried away!

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Chapter 5

_To the Guild._

A bright light shone in Natsu's eyes until the fire dragon started to stir. His entire body felt rigid and stiff, just like his… bed? Wait, his bed was soft and comfy! _Ouch… why am I sleeping on the floor?_ Natsu sat up slowly, his bones creaking and cracking in protest. He stretched a bit before looking at the bed. _Oh, that's right._ Gray shivered lightly on the bed. His shirt was nowhere to bed found, leaving him in Natsu's dark shorts only. They hung low on his narrow hips, almost beckoning Natsu to come closer and rip them off as well. Gray was in the same position the fire dragon slayer left him yesterday: his arms pulled above his head, his back slightly arched, his legs bent and turned to the side.

Images of yesterday's hot kiss flew through Natsu mind and spread a wildfire over his cheeks. He tried to shake it off, but the feeling of Gray's lips… his body under Natsu's tongue… that fucking moan… how could he forget that? Natsu felt his pants getting tighter and ran to the bathroom to run cold water over his face. _Get a hold of yourself, man!_ Why was he reacting this way? For as long as he could remember, not even many girls could make him feel this way. For as long as he could remember, _only_ girls could make him feel close to what he felt yesterday.

_He nibbled on Gray's bottom lip, loving the feeling of it under his teeth. Slowly, he ran his heated tongue against the ice mage's lips, receiving a quiver as the muscles loosened up enough for Natsu to enter._

Another hot blush made his face expel a puff of steam. Natsu licked his lips. He knew when Porlysucia-san said lip contact she only meant a small kiss… probably. So, what made him act like he never had before? Honestly, he didn't even know what the hell he was doing in the first place! It just… it just made him feel _really_ good.

Drying his face, Natsu stepped back into his room. He felt a little better. His heart still beat erratically just from looking at Gray. But, taking deep breaths helped. _What the hell was in that vial that made me feel like this? It was the cruddy spell medicine, right?_

Natsu shook his head, dismissing the idea. He decided he'd tell Gray about it later. He still had to take care of Gray, regardless of these newfound sensations. _Gray should eat something… probably take a bath, and wear something warm… _He softly sat onto the bed, smiling a bit at Gray's peaceful face. Though, his body was quivering, his face was so calm, pulled into a comfortable expression. Natsu almost didn't want to wake him up. Reluctantly, he gently shook the ice mage.

"Morning Gray. It's time to wake up. You should eat something," Natsu said softly.

"Nngh," the dark-haired boy moaned before sluggishly opening his eyes. It took a few minutes before his dizzy eyes finally focused, landing on a pink mess of spiky hair.

There was an awkward air between them as Gray continued to stare at the boy next to him. His mind was completely blank… except for the constant replay of what seemed to be Porlysucia's remedy. A slight blush dusted Gray's cheeks as he looked away from Natsu. He couldn't look at him. It was… _embarrassing_! After he succumbed so easily to Natsu's actions. Who knew he was such a great kisser? And the noises Gray made… _God, kill me now._ Gray knew that Natsu was only helping him get better, so why did he act like a bitch in heat?

Gray wasn't one to judge love. If he truly loved someone, he didn't care if the person was male or female, as long as he was sure of his feelings. But, this was Natsu. No matter how close they were, he'd only love him like a brother at most! Gray wasn't going to lie, Natsu had some attractive points, but it just couldn't happen. Loving Natsu… was something he was damn sure he had no confidence in. _Because Natsu doesn't swing that way. I mean, who says I even love him? Yesterday was just lust…_

Gray wanted to say something, but a coughing fit surprised him. Quickly, he covered his mouth with his hand. A bitter taste filled his mouth; it was salty and metallic. His throat hurt like it swelled up. The black heart throbbed a bit and he winced. But compared to what it was, this pain was manageable. Almost like a numb throbbing.

Concern flooded Natsu's eyes and he instinctively pulled Gray into his body, rubbing his back until the coughing subdued. The ice mage subconsciously nuzzled into Natsu warm touch, a headache pulsing in his brain from the coarse coughing. When Gray pulled his hand away, the dark red color of blood stained his palm.

"Shit," Gray mumbled, covering his hand before Natsu looked down.

"Hmm, what? Does your throat hurt? Did the coughs stop?" Natsu questioned, searching Gray's face. It was paler than normal and his lips were very red. A growing smell of blood assaulted his nose. It was then when Natsu finally realized Gray's hand inching out of his line of sight.

He snatched the hiding hand and turned it over, blinking blankly at the sight of blood.

"You're coughing up blood," the dragon slayer stated. He felt sick from the sight. It wasn't like he hadn't seen Gray hurt before; he'd gotten in countless battles. But, just looking at the blood now—it didn't settle well in Natsu's stomach. He hated the sight of Gray's blood.

Gray tried to pull out of his grip, "Yeah… well it would be weird if I wasn't. This curse… it's taking a toll on my body." Gray exhaled, he was kind of tired. Hadn't he just woken up?

Natsu's lips formed a firm line. Picking Gray up, he hopped off the bed and started for the kitchen.

"What? Where are we going—hey, put me down!" Gray protested in the pink-haired boy's arms, but he was too exhausted to put up a real fight.

Once in the kitchen, Natsu settled Gray into one of the chairs around the table. Without replying, he searched his cabinets for a bowl, spoon, and box of cereal. Luckily, the milk wasn't spoiled. He poured the milk into the bowl and grabbed a glass of water as well.

"You need to eat something. The only thing you've had since you got out of that ice was Lucy's soup, and that was yesterday. You're all tired and you're body can't handle this curse. Eating will give you energy."

Gray bit his lip and stared at the bowl in front of him. He thought if he'd stared hard enough, he might feel hungry. False. His stomach felt dull and disoriented… and kind of repulsed at the thought of eating at the moment. And the action seemed tiring by itself. Gray wasn't one to skip meals, but he just didn't really feel like scarfing down the first thing put in front of his face. Staring at the floating bits of oats triggered that insane malevolent laughter to hazily play in the back of his mind. Gray shuddered. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of Maeva and her sickly evil ways.

"Err, maybe later?" Gray said, pushing the bowl away and ignoring Natsu disapproving look, "I _really_ don't want to look at food at the moment."

"Eat, Gray," Natsu pushed the bowl back toward him.

He was confused by Gray's actions. He was happy to eat yesterday! What's up with him? Gray looked at the bowl and winced, a look of repulsion sketching over his face. Instantly the color drained from his face. He hobbled over to the sink, immediately emptying the rest of the contents in his stomach—which wasn't much to start with. Her laughter rung in his ears, inviting him to retch again, yet all that came out were dry heaves and spit.

"I said… I didn't… want to look at it," the ice mage snapped, regaining his breath and wiping his mouth.

Gray snapped his head to glare at the flame head, but his sight was blurry and unsettled, resting his head on the cold metal rim of the sink felt like a better idea. He didn't even know how that bitch got in his head. He was looking at cereal for crying out loud!

"_Because we are linked at the heart, my dear Gray… I will always be with you. Feeding off of you until you can offer no more. And when that time comes, I will be reborn."_

Oh, that was right. Ha, if her little curse couldn't cover Gray in ice and take his life that way, then she'd make him miserable and torture him while he was awake. A hot hand touched his lower back, causing him to jump a bit.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that. I didn't know it would make you throw up… maybe something at the guild will make you feel better? Mira's cooking is the best—there's no way you'd get sick from looking at it," Natsu spoke softly, his hand slid up Gray's back, moving in soothing circles. Well, what was he supposed to do? Plus, he missed the guild too.

And when did curses start making people barf? Natsu scrunched his nose up at the smell and turned on the faucet to rid the vomit down the drain. All he knew was that someone cast forbidden ice magic—or something—on Gray and now it made him go through icy hell. He assumed it was this witch he sealed weeks ago. Not only did this curse try to consume him, it formed a heart on his chest and was currently deteriorating Gray's body bit by bit. _Damn it! I'm I supposed to sit back and watch this happen? Like hell! I promised Gray I would cure him (and beat the shit out of this witch). I __**will**__ cure him!_

"And what about that stupid medicine that old bat give him… it's not working at all," Natsu mumbled, not noticing he said that out loud.

"It is," Gray replied hoarsely.

"What?"

"It's working, I think. I don't have to keep my guard up so her ice doesn't cover me—it's keeping the ice from spreading," Gray stated. _But the medicine doesn't seem like it's going to stop it from sipping away my life with different methods._

Natsu clicked his tongue. _Well, that's not enough!_ He helped Gray back to his seat, grabbing a shirt for him to wear. It was a striped button-down shirt. Gray didn't feel up to actually buttoning it though. Much to his dismay, Natsu picked him up with one arm under his legs and a hand on his back to keep him steady.

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They could hear the rowdiness of the guild from the outside. Gray thought the laughs and shouts would make him feel better—that being around his family would make him happier. But, that dull distant feeling still invaded his stomach. And he was left with a blank expression. He felt Natsu's giddiness and sighed. In attempt to hide his disinterest, Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu's neck and burrowed his face on Natsu's shoulder.

"What? Are you nervous?" Natsu teased and Gray scoffed at his attitude. He wished he felt _**something**_.

With one big kick, the guild doors flew open with Natsu's usual greeting resonating off the walls. With his face completely shielded by Natsu's shoulder, Gray couldn't see the gapping reactions of his fellow guild members. Well, Nastu was carrying him. The guild was dead silent, wide eyes glued to the pair walking in.

Though, like a switch was flipped, half the guild was crying tears of joy, pushing and shoving to get closer to the sick ice mage.

"Gray! You're back!" they sang, crowding around the pair.

Natsu gave a toothy grin and nudged Gray's head with his shoulder. By now, Gray would have said some snide remark about the guild worrying too much or that he was just taking a break. Yet, when the ice mage raised his head, all feeling was void from his eyes. He gave a small smile and a peace sign to the members and it seemed to trick them. But Natsu knew.

The rest of Team Natsu emerged from the crowd. Lucy had tears in her eyes. She wanted to run over and hug her friend. But the tight hold Natsu had on him told her otherwise. Erza smiled warmly, gesturing that they should sit down.

Natsu looked around after everyone settled. He plopped Gray down right next to him, their shoulders touching as Gray started to lean on him for support. "Hey, where's Juvia? I thought the guild would be swallowed in her tears by now."

"Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy went on a quest yesterday. Those two wanted to drag her away from the guild because her moping flooded it twice already," Mirajane smiled, walking up to the table.

The dragon slayer let out a sigh of relief. Thank god that ship sailed. He glanced at the quiet boy next to him, still concerned for his lack of spunk and happiness.

"Gray—" he started to whisper, but Lucy's fretful voice beat him to it.

"Gray, are you alright? You haven't said anything at all… Did Natsu drag you here against your will? Because if you're not up to it…"

"I'm fine," Gray spoke up, the same weak smile gracing his lips, "I'm fine Lucy, just tired that's all. Where's Wendy? And Gramps?"

"Mm, Gramps is visiting Wendy and Porlysucia-san at her clinic," Mirajane explained and the ice mage nodded.

The table fell silent again until Erza started talking about the new bakery that opened up down the street. They were selling her favorite strawberry cake and she wanted to try it out soon. Natsu didn't forget about the cereal and asked Mira to bring something to settle his stomach. Gray absentmindedly pushed around the rice soup brought to him, half-listening to the conversation at the table. As long as it looked like he was eating, the worried eyes left him alone—all but the fiery ones. He knew he couldn't fool Natsu, but the sight of soup reminded him of what he threw up in Natsu's sink just hours ago. Not that Mira's soup looked like vomit. Nor had it tasted disgusting since Mirajane was the best cook he'd ever known. Something repelled him from enjoying food at the moment. _From enjoying my friends or my family as well. When had I ever been so depressed?_ Instantly, his teacher's face flashed in his mind, and Gray felt even worse.

A pain erupted from his chest and winced, lowering his head a bit. _Ugh, this feels like… but I thought Porlysucia's medicine was supposed to… I let my guard down…_ His heart beat heavier and pulsed painfully under the growing ice. Vines of black ice slowly slithered from the thing latched on his chest.

"Gray?"

Natsu blinked at the ice mage. He was extremely quiet and even stopped picking at his food. And he wouldn't lift his head. Natsu sensed something was wrong. Gray was winded again. He narrowed his eyes toward the dark-haired boy's chest. Something shimmery and translucent black was slithering out from the open cloth.

"Damn it!" Natsu shouted, gaining the attention of the whole guild. Swiftly, he grabbed Gray by his waist and rushed to the infirmary. He heard Lucy yell something, but ignored it. He ignored everything that wasn't Gray at the moment.

Barging into one of the empty rooms, Natsu laid Gray down on the white bed. His eyes were scrunched up in pain and his nails clawed at the spreading ice heart. Natsu quickly removed the shirt from Gray's body so he could get a better look at the monstrous ice. _What the hell happened? I thought Porlysucia's medicine was supposed to fix this!_ Natsu clenched his teeth in frustration. He tried melting the ice with his hands, yet it only seemed to laugh at his attempts, growing faster and longer. He tried chipping the ice with his claws, but it felt like the ice was biting him back.

It wasn't working! Nothing was working! This ice was invincible! Natsu started to sweat. He was visibly seething. _Why the fuck isn't it working?! My fire magic's supposed to activate Porlysucia's medicine, right? So, activate already!_ Something snapped in Natsu's mind. His eyes glowed like fire; orange, red, and yellow danced in his eyes. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his canine teeth seemed to be sharper than normal. Patches of scales were outlined around his burning eyes and suddenly he was acting on feeling.

Natsu forced Gray's eyes open—forced him to look up at the dragon slayer. Gray looked confused, drawn in to the ferocious eyes seeping into him. The pain pulsed through his body and he winced, but never looked away. Natsu grabbed Gray's chin, smashing his lips against the ice mage's. Gray was stiff under the force. It felt like those flaming eyes were controlling him. The icy throbbing dulled against the intensity of those eyes.

Sharp teeth nibbled on his lips and Gray writhed until they pulled away. He gasped from the sudden contact, blood rushing straight to his face. Gray was baffled. But strange enough, never repulsed. That feeling from yesterday—it returned. A feeling of warmth spread through his body and coursed through his veins. He felt_ something _again_…_

"Na-Natsu…" he managed utter, but with their heartbeats pulsing in their ears, neither of them heard it.

Natsu clashed their lips together again, thrusting his hot, wet tongue into Gray's mouth. It licked at his tongue, making the ice mage shudder. Natsu's nails ran up and down his bare sides. Gray arched his body into boy before him, sucking deep on his tongue. He felt the curve of lips on his—Natsu smirking as he lifted Gray so he straddled him. He breathed in the vanilla smell that was Gray and sighed in content.

_So intoxicating._

Gray couldn't think coherently. Silent moans whispered in his ears, egging him to push closer into the dragon slayer's embrace. Natsu's hands found their way to his ass, squeezing and digging sharp nails into the round plump globes. Gray broke the kiss, throwing his head back and inevitably giving access to his porcelain neck. A fiery tongue trailed down his neck, swirling around his Adam's apple. Gray shuddered and clutched Natsu's shoulders for strength, losing himself fully when those sharp teeth sunk in to the soft skin of his neck. Every movement was pulling at him, dragging him closer. Every shift gave a breathtaking hint of mindless ecstasy that eased any pain with each wavering second. It felt like the black ice was running down his chest—down his torso, steam hissing in the air from the heat wafting off their bodies. _It couldn't stand their heat._

Natsu couldn't understand his movements. His blood roared through his veins like wildfire, burning and stinging. And it all felt so good. That blissful feeling in his stomach returned and he wasn't letting go. Natsu sucked on the soft skin between his teeth. The skin was bruised, but not enough to bleed. He enjoyed sucking on pieces of Gray's neck, nipping, biting, kissing, until Gray was putty in his hands. Red and purple marks decorated the boy's neck until Natsu was satisfied. His eyes travelled to the ice mage's chest—his sharp grin widening at the sight he saw.

Though still visible, the black heart of ice shrunk immensely, barely covering Gray's pectoral. Natsu let his tongue run over one of Gray's hardened, pink nipples, enjoying the cool, sweet taste of the perky nub. He harshly bit the abused flesh earning a deep moan that made Natsu's pants feel like they shrank three sizes. Gray was shaking. He had bucked once, subconsciously grinding his hips. He panted, damp lips glistening and huffing cool breaths. It all made him look so erotic. As if being a stripper wasn't enough. Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He had to have Gray. He had to _dominate_ Gray. He wanted those kissed-raw lips on _him_. Releasing his hold on Gray, he let him fall back onto the bed.

Gray jolted out of his stupor. He was fidgeting and needy. His cock was half-hard and in need of some serious attention as it was currently irritably twitching under the restricting cloth. Gray flushed. _ Natsu made me like… this. _The flame head threw his pants to the ground, sliding his boxers down to his knees. If possible, Gray's blush grew darker. He eyed the thick, curved penis, gulping hard. He was already being drawn toward it, but Natsu's hand on the back of his head helped him reach his destination a lot quicker. Natsu shuddered from Gray's cool breath on his head. Tentatively, the ice mage licked the tip before licking his lips. All at once, Gray slipped his lips over the head, sucking the entire shaft into his mouth. He tasted pre-cum forming and mingling with his saliva.

Natsu groaned, "God damn it, it feels good, Gray."

Natsu's member throbbed in the ice mage's mouth. It felt tingly and wet, causing him to slip completely from any grasp on reason. Just as Gray was sliding back up, Natsu pushed his head down on him as he thrust roughly into the attractive mouth, repeatedly. That cool cavern around him… _Mmm…_ He could feel Gray choking on his length, his moans vibrating and sending pleasurable vibes to run through Natsu's body.

"Nngh!"

A cold hand grabbed his balls and yanked. Natsu yelped, letting go of the dark-haired boy's head so he could raise it. Gray glared at Natsu. His swollen red lips still kissed the throbbing member as thin lines of saliva dripped from his chin—and it looked so damn sexy. Something in the dragon slayer's stomach tightened and churned and his eyes fluttered closed for a second. A feeling of blissful ecstasy flowed through his body. When he opened his eyes again, the sight of Gray made his limp cock twitch again. His viscous semen dripped from Gray's scandalized face, a dab of it dotted his cute nose. The ice mage's mouth was slightly hung open and his cheeks flushed a pink color.

Natsu's eyes stopped glowing, his scales retracting a bit. He grunted coming down from his high, but never looking away from the boy below him. Those beautiful dark orbs bore into his body, he never wanted their gaze to leave his body. He never wanted _Gray_ to leave his body. Natsu breathed heavily. He felt an aching deep in his chest, rumbling and roaring like it had never done before. It almost hurt to breathe. _Maybe… those feelings I've been pushing off… maybe it's a good time to talk about them…_

"Gray, I—"

"Na-_Natsu!__** What are you—what are you making Gray do?!**_" a low voice roared through the room.

The next thing Natsu knew, pain flourished from his side. And he was flying in the air, crashing into the opposite wall.

"Gah!" he grabbed his side, ready to attack this intruder… but instantly paled instead.

Erza stood over him. Fury seeped from her armor. Natsu glanced toward the bed where Gray was still in his dazed state. The crackling sound of knuckles sent daunted shivers down Natsu's spine.

"How shall I punish you?" Erza pondered in a deathly low voice.

The stomping of her footsteps snapped Gray out of his stupor. He instantly paled from the murderous glare Erza gave the frightened dragon slayer.

"O-oi, Er-Erza, wait! Natsu didn't force me to…" Gray quickly stood up, trying to come between the Titania and the cornered boy. But his vision blurred suddenly, the room meshing together in a pool of colors. He felt lightheaded, until Maeva's laughter filled his ears, rendering his body rigid and cold.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, one sentence invading his mind like a deathly virus:

"_Impressive, my dear Gray, for you to wear down my perfect curse."_

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	6. Chapter 6

**Frostbite**

By Mayeri

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Recap: Natsu and Gray go to visit the guild members! Gray is stabilized by Porlysucia's medicine and the ice stopped spreading so willingly. But, Maeva has other ways of sucking out his energy so she can be reborn again. She takes his happiness and health, making Gray weak and miserable—enough so the stabilization wears off and Natsu must activate the medicine again. Natsu pours his feelings into (actually onto) Gray in a fiery passion and almost gets beat up by Erza because of it. Gray tries to stop Erza from pummeling Natsu, but dizziness waves over him and he passes out.

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Chapter 6

_Maeva the Illusionist._

_My arms hung loosely above my head, entangled in the tight chains of ice. I sat with my legs under me. They grew numb and prickly as the minutes slowly ticked by. I finally felt some real progress. I felt the pain dissipating from my chest. Natsu, however he was doing it, he was breaking her curse._

_Until she pulled me back into her clutches._

"_You are a clever little boy. Did you know that?"_

_I snapped my head up. Those were the first real words I'd heard in hours. Well, it felt like hours had passed. There wasn't a clock dangling in this fucked-up cave to verify._

"_You know, I'm really starting to hate this ice cave," I mumbled, earning a demented laugh._

"_Using the dragon slayer's feelings to strengthen his fire—his passion. If I had known fire dragon slayers still existed, I would have cast a different curse on your delicious heart."_

_I felt a slimy hand run down my chest before it retraced its path. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Shudders violently darted down my spine. That was when I realized she was sitting behind me. Holding me in her grasp. She nudged her pointy chin onto my shoulder and my body instantly went frigid. Pieces of her hair stuck to my back and neck. Ugh, it looked (and felt) like the black, watery shit you pull out of the drain when the shower was backed up._

"_I—guh—have no clue what you're talking about, bitch," I snapped, swallowing the bile inching up my throat. It burned as it hissed back into my stomach._

"_Oh really, my dear? By the way the slayer was ravaging you, I thought you had figured it out. Forbidden magic always loathed such fiery feelings of love. And that medicinal advisor… to think you had someone so clever on your side."_

_A dark aura surrounded me from the behind. Her sharp claws dug into my torso as her fingers continued their path._

"_But, I already knew that. Forbidden magic is of the ancient times and I am to be reborn into the new," Maeva paused, a smile dementing her features, "You see, the best part about being a magnificent witch is my ability of changing the old ways and adapting them to the new. You may have weakened my perfect curse, but you will never destroy it, my dear."_

_Maeva retracted her hands, retracted her body. Leisurely, she strode around me and crouched down. Thank God the cave was dimly lit. The sight of her was something that was indescribable. Something that would feed nightmares to little children for years. She was the physical form of hate and cruelty. Her slimy hand latched onto my chin and pulled my head up so my eyes bore into her yellow slits._

"_Let me give you some reassurance. If you want to be a bad boy, then I will have to treat you like my precious scapegoats," she cooed, smirking slightly._

_I jerked forward. Anger danced through me. This woman had no shame. No heart. No soul._

"_Those __**scapegoats **__were just little kids! How dare you feed off of them you fucking monster! They had their whole life ahead of them! Yet you—"_

"—_Yet __**you**__ fell for it and got yourself into this tough position, my caged dove. If only your heart wasn't so big… maybe if you only thought about your task instead of getting distracted by those seduced little brats, you wouldn't be cursed. Hmm, but then I would be in a pickle, wouldn't I? And your magic had done such a nice job of sealing little old me," Maeva chuckled. Her hold on my chin tightened._

_My eyes quivered a bit before casting their gaze to the floor. She was right and wrong at the same time. If I hadn't intervened, I would have never been cursed… but because I had, those children were still living with their families today. Maeva would have fed off anyone who marched into that cave, feeding until she was reborn._

"_Oh, don't look so down, my little dove. Let me make these last few days of your life meaningful. Of course you realize receiving anymore love from that dragon slayer is a big no-no. However, I will let you love me instead. How does that sound? Hmm… I'll even let you live—to serve me until the day your bones turn to dust. Or maybe I'll have you fucked until your senses fail you." Something glittered into those yellow eyes of hers._

"_I will love you? __**You**__ of all the living things in the world? Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's impossible. I already have someone I love…" my eyes widened as the words slipped from my mouth. Not even my brain had time to react to them. And my heart was the first to understand. "Yes… I already love someone. Natsu Dragneel. So please spare me of this 'love' of yours."_

_Maeva blinked. Once, twice, until a wicked grin spread from her lips. She threw her head back in malevolent laughter that rung terribly in my ears; I thought they would bleed._

"_Do you really believe you have a choice in the manner? My dear, you have such a pretty face. Though you've lost some muscle, I find you fit to serve me. __**Against your will if you must**__. You will love me now. Then my curse will be complete. Then I will rise from the bile, sludge, and ice in everyone's hearts—the same fecal hearts that gave meaning to my existence."_

_Maeve pulled my face close to hers, so we were only millimeters apart. I held my breath, my lips forming a firm line._

"_And to emulate all the great fairy tales, the deal is sealed with a kiss."_

.

Natsu sat next to the edge of his bed. Not once had his eyes left the body lying on the bed—unless he was forced to blink the dryness from his eyes. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. Not when his Gray was back into the witch's clutches. He didn't need to _see_ it to know; he felt it. She took Gray from right under his nose.

Erza, Lucy, they tried to get him to move. They tried to reassure him the ice mage was just tired and that everything would be all right. But they didn't know. They didn't understand like Natsu had. No one slept for two days straight if they were just _tired_. Gray didn't budge. He didn't twitch. It barely looked like he was breathing.

"Natsu," a voice spoke. Natsu barely acknowledged the person, not even twitching to show he was listening. He wouldn't dare look away from the ice mage.

"Gramps."

Makarov sighed before making his way to the bed. He was about to take hold of Gray's hand, but the tension in the air told him otherwise.

"Don't touch," Natsu growled. Makarov just stared at the defensive boy.

Natsu stopped glaring enough to groan. "You know… I didn't even get to tell him how I feel. Erza stopped me the first time. I thought it didn't matter because I could just tell him after, but… he's like this again. Like all that work and fight meant nothing. I thought he was getting better."

"We all did," Makarov comforted, placing his hand on the hunched boy's shoulder.

"Yeah, but it's my fault. I couldn't keep him safe. I failed Wendy, Porlysucia-san, and—most importantly—Gray," Natsu muttered almost inaudibly.

The old man exhaled again, taking a seat on the floor, "It's not your fault, Natsu. Quit sulking. That's not helping anyone, and it sure isn't making the situation better."

If looks could murder, Makarov would have been stabbed to death by now. But he stood his ground.

"Let me tell you a story. You, more than anyone, should hear this."

.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl and her mother. The girl's nose was big and fat. Her eyes were like small slits whilst her lips were thinner than a piece of paper. She had a lanky, but short body and a washboard chest. The girl was far from pretty, but she was kindhearted and gifted. She was gifted with special powers.

Her mother on the other hand was the most beautiful lady of them all. Long flowing black hair with natural bouncy curls, porcelain skin, and full boisterous breasts! Her smile was mystifying, her lips were plump and stained ruby red. Her skin sparkled under the sun and glowed under the moon, outlining her perfect hourglass figure.

This girl loved her mother so very much—more than all the jewels in the world. As long as she had her mother, she could endure the world. Endure the hurtful glares and the boys' taunting and calling her disgusting or ugly.

On one gloomy day, the girl and mother came to a village. In this village, a great king and all his knights were visiting an old friend. The mother wanted to see this great king, but the daughter felt uneasy. The daughter begged her mother to skip over the village, but the mother was insistent. And so they crowded around the large king with the other villagers. But the mother was a radiant creature and stood out amongst the rest. In his drunken high, the king took a great liking to her and seized her to his grand bed at the crack of night. Then he ordered his knights to chain the girl to the wall in his chambers so she could watch in revulsion.

The great king fucked the mother day and night. He fucked her until her legs bled and her ability to walk failed her. Then, the great king made a preposition. He offered her jewels for each and every knight she let fuck her senseless. If she didn't want to, then she could go. But then she wouldn't get any jewels. _Finally,_ the girl thought. Her mother would be set free and they could leave. They could put this horrifying trip behind them. The girl rattled in her chains, waiting for her mother to refuse. Yet, she never did. Each and every knight of the king fucked her mother stupid. They fucked her until the jewels were slipping from her pockets, bags, and fingers.

That was when the girl realized something. The mother she loved so very much… she was nothing more than a greedy little whore. And that greedy whore stared her daughter right in the eye as the last knight rammed into her bloody, puffy hole… and she _laughed_. After that, the mother bought a carriage and fled the village, leaving her ugly daughter chained to the wall. The great king and all of his knights left the following day. Though before he left, the king ordered the girl to be dealt with.

The villagers refused to keep an ugly girl on display in that grand room and moved her to the dried up well in the dark forest. They pushed her down the well, each taking a turn to spit into it, and fled the forest as quickly as possible. For it was a cursed forest. They say the forest could deceive humans with delusions implanted in their minds and feast on their dead bodies. It was not a forest worth staying any longer.

The girl never wept again. She lay broken and chained on the dirty well floor until her bones were the only things left of her. There, detestation was birthed into the world.

.

"What is the point of this story?" Natsu grumbled impatiently, his eyes flickering to Makarov for only a second.

"Because that little girl was and is Maeva. That same village… my friend lives there. And he has watched his village freeze under her hell. Maeva used the forest to feed off of the greed, hatred, and evil in everyone's hearts. That forest changed her into something inhumane," Makarov explained, getting up from his spot on the floor. He turned to the door, where Wendy and Porlysucia greeted the two.

"This curse is directly connected to Maeva's life. Destroying whatever's holding her to this world may be a key component to ending this curse. We need to burn her bones lying deep in the dark forest," Porlysucia spoke, gaining Natsu's full attention.

"And… if we do this, Gray'll be cured?" he said slowly, biting his bottom lip. Wendy looked to the ground.

"We cannot be sure, but I am confident it will significantly damage the effects," the sky dragon slayer stated confidently.

Natsu stood up, a grin gracing his grim features, "Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go burn that forest in—"

_Gasp!_

Gray shot straight up from the bed, wheezing as if he had been holding his breath for hours. He slammed his hands against both sides of his head, as if trying to squeeze something out. Natsu blinked—still shocked by the fact the ice mage awoke so suddenly. The affect was not far from the other three visitors.

Immediately, Gray doubled over. He threw his head to the other side of the bed, aiming for the floor. Black, murky ooze erupted from his stomach—from his insides. She was crawling under his skin. She was swirling around inside of him. Gray felt like his body was spinning out of control, convulsing violently. Muscles spasms gushed from his limbs, the way they jerked causing his bones to pop and pain to spread. Before he could blink, Natsu was kneeling on the bed next to him. He looked confused and unsure of what to do.

The paleness graced Gray's face and the black vomit assaulted the floor. He could feel her wrapping her arms around his mind, around his conscious. She was pulling the strings now and Gray could barely control his body anymore. A shaky hand grabbed Natsu's sleeve, pulling him from his shock. Gray looked the boy in the eyes. Natsu was his last hope. If he couldn't help him, Maeva would rise far more powerful than she was before.

"I don't have much time… before she's got me completely in her clutches… I need to tell you… I love you, Natsu Dragneel," Gray grit his teeth, trying desperately to hold onto the strings pulling on his mind before Maeva took hold of them, "Don't ever believe otherwise… I need you—I need you to break this curse… I know how to seal her… but I can't as I am… Please, Natsu… _**save me**_—"

And with that, the dark, murky color clouded Gray's confident eyes. He dropped backward onto the bed. In an instant, his body froze blacker than the ice that covered his heart. He melted into water and dissipated in the thin air.

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**A/N:** Well, shit. O.O That happened. What do you think will happen to him?


	7. Chapter 7

**Frostbite**

By Mayeri

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**A/N:** Hey readers! I'm sorry updating is taking so long. You see, I got this really cool idea in my head for another story and I haven't stopped writing about it (not really much of an excuse T-T). Also, this chapter may be a little boring and short.

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Recap: Natsu is distressed about the situation with Gray and how he was unable to tell him how he feels. Maeva's upcoming is told by Makarov. Gray's mind is captured and under the control of Maeva. Before slipping into her clutches, he tells Natsu how he feels. He tells him to save him since Gray is the only one who knows how to seal her. He disappears into thin air.

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Chapter 7

_Sandalwood._

Lucy watched the scenery go passed in a blur as the train sped by. The entire train cart was silent, except for the occasional whimpers and groans from Natsu. _Natsu…_ It was a lot easier to look at him in this state, rather than how he was before. Lucy shuddered. She had never been afraid of him until yesterday—when Gray disappeared.

_Tears streamed down his face, his body was still stuck in a rigid state. Time seemed to slow down as his hand reached out and touched the air where Gray was—where he was just lying. A single word registered in his mind: gone. And all flames broke lose._

Natsu went berserk. He nearly burned the house down. He nearly reduced his friends to a crisp. It took Wendy and Makarov-san both to calm him down. And that wasn't even enough. Fortunately, Erza and Lucy were already on their way—and the burning hellhole told them to hurry up. Though, Lucy really didn't help much. She was in too much shock from the malicious look in Natsu's eyes. A look that took this Maeva witch to sleep with one eye open.

A chill ran down Lucy's spine and she looked towards the window again. She didn't focus on the blurring scenery anymore, but the scratches and dust accumulating on the windowsill from previous travelers. Erza, Wendy, and she were to accompany Natsu to the dark forest in Makarov-san's friend's village, Sandalwood. Natsu wanted to go alone, but was thankfully convinced by Erza that his mind wasn't in the best of states to be travelling alone. He was even willing to leave Happy, saying that it would be too dangerous for the flying cat and that he'd rather not lose another important person. So, Happy stayed at the guild with Carla keeping him company. Makarov-san wanted to come, but even he couldn't eschew his guild duties. And Porlysucia-san refused the offer, saying something about not being needed (and not wanting be around humans for so long).

Natsu's stomach knotted and squeezed from the motion of the train. He was a mess of emotions—and none made him feel any better. His face paled and his cheeks puffed against the rocking. _I wish Gray were here…_ he thought, remembering a time when Gray accidentally helped him feel better. Natsu swayed in his seat next Gray and accidentally slipped and crashed into the ice mage. Gray let out a stream of curses along the lines of, "puke on me and I'll fucking freeze your ass," but Natsu hadn't paid attention to any of it. The ice mage's shoulder felt so cold and nice at the time. The soothing sensation was taming the wild sickness in his stomach. Maybe Gray noticed the change in Natsu's face or how much calmer he was because he didn't shove him off. Instead Gray sighed, putting a cold hand on Natsu's forehead. For however long that train rode, they stayed like this—and reverted back to rivals the second they were off.

Team Natsu arrived at the station near Sandalwood hours later, much to Natsu's dismay. Lucy helped carry him while Wendy begrudgingly helped Erza with her _luggage_. The town was a few miles away. Though, walking in its direction gave a plethora of weird responses. Passerby gasped at them. They whispered in low voices, averting their eyes from the travelling crew. Some even warned the police. Erza furrowed her eyebrows at the actions, especially when the policeman approached them.

"Is there a problem officer?" Erza asked, a little irked that their rescue was momentarily stopped.

The policeman nodded warily, "Yes. What business do you have with Sandalwood? That village is off limits at the moment."

"We are from Fairy Tail. We have matters to take care of in Sandalwood, officer."

This answer seemed to send relief to the poor man. He perked up, "Really? Oh, thank God. I didn't know what I'd do if that ice kept spreading further from the village. Carry on."

The group was silent. Ice was spreading from the village? Was it like with Gray's house? They continued their walk with a quickened pace.

.

The walk to Sandalwood was long and weird. The closer Team Natsu got, the colder it became. Lush trees and green pastures turned to dead forest and dirt. Any vegetation frosted over. And it looked like the frost and ice were growing, eating all signs of life around it.

"This is horrible," Wendy gasped, running her fingers over a frosted shrub. It cracked and crumbled to the ground with the smallest of feather-light touches.

And the village wasn't much better. A chilly air whipped up any snow covering the icy ground. A wooden arc with the word, 'Sandalwood' carved in it stood over them. It was chipped and frayed. The village was like a ghost town. Houses were deformed and sealed in ice. Any signs of life seemed minimal. And when the group had found a poor starved dog, it was petrified in ice—its skin sticking to bone and its eyes sunk in the back of its head.

"Wait…" Natsu sniffed the air. He had finally recovered from the train ride. "I smell smoke and ash… that way!" Natsu darted off in a random direction with Lucy shouting at him for running off.

Natsu rounded a corner and stopped in front of a small hut with smoke puffing out of its redbrick chimney. It was surrounded by huge piles of salt—probably to soak up the ice crowding around it. Natsu hopped over the fence of salt and barged into the house.

"Ice block! Are you in here?!" he shouted. Honestly, he didn't know if the man was still alive. He couldn't smell him after he dissipated in the air… and he couldn't smell him now. Natsu desperately missed the scent of vanilla frosting and cinnamon—he desperately missed Gray.

A faint thumping sound filled the air and a short; old man emerged from a back room. Natsu could see a fire burning behind the shocked man. He was hunched over and as short as Gramps. His body had an awkward quiver to it and he used a short walking stick to aide in him standing up.

"Who are you… and why are you in my house?" his voice cracked. Nevertheless, the look in his eye told Natsu to leave.

"Oh, um… _OW_!" Natsu suddenly yelled when pain blossomed from his head. An iron-hard fist waved above it.

"I am sorry for his rudeness, sir. We are from Fairy Tail—here to stop Maeva and save our friend… is there any chance you are Master Makarov's friend?" Erza suddenly explained, bowing to the old man. Lucy and Wendy peaked through the door, entering only after they found it safe.

The old man's scruffy eyebrows shot up at the name, a smile of remembrance gracing his face. "Hah, I haven't seen Makarov in years. How is he? Oh, well I guess there is no time for such questions…" the old man trailed off and stumbled to a small wooden stool to sit down. He ushered the rest to do the same. "I believe you are here for more detrimental matters."

Natsu nodded eagerly and he plopped down in a chair. This old man must've known something! "Our friend, Gray, he disappeared because of that illusionist bitch. We have to get him back!" Natsu said, digging his nails into the arms of the chair. _I have to get him back… because I broke my promise. I couldn't keep him safe; I couldn't cure him._

Natsu gritted his teeth. The anger kept piling up. He had never felt so distressed before and didn't like it. And it was getting hard for him to keep it bottled up. Wendy kept telling him that they were here to keep him in check—that his mental state wasn't in the best shape. But, whose would be? _Gray told me he loved me… then he disappeared because of that curse! Was I just going to smile and laugh it off?!_ Natsu took a deep breath and stared at the old man; he looked like he was about to say something.

"Mm, I've heard the screams from the forest… I believe your friend was in there. They sounded male, but died out yesterday night. I cannot be sure if he is still alive… or if she has already fed off him," the old man sighed. Living in such a village where everywhere you turned, frozen death stared you straight in the eye… it was hard to live in. But, this house held so many memories. Memories of him and his wife. How could he just leave it? The old man wasn't going to give it to some angry ice witch. He was thankful for reaching out to Makarov. Maybe, just maybe these young ones could melt the ice destroying his home village. The old man's eyes flickered to an old photo frame siting on a wooden stand.

"In the dark forest she lives, in a cave under a well. That is where she was born again. Someone had come before to stop her, but failed. I believe he was from your guild as well. I don't know if the young lad made it back or not… but if you happen to find him, please help him," the old man breathed out and Natsu tensed. "He saved the children almost killed by Maeva and helped the villagers evacuate."

Erza stood up, a sword re-equipped in her hand. The rest followed. "Don't worry, sir. He is our nakama and we _will_ bring him back."

.

The dark forest was just that. Dark. A grey fog oozed from the entrance while the rest of the forest seemed pitch black. And unaffected by the ice. The trees were black; the bushes were dark and sharp. The ground leaked a murky substance. Not a single sound could be heard. Team Natsu travelled warily into the forest, walking along the small path carved out centuries ago. The old man said it would lead them straight to the well. Apparently, before the forest was cursed, the well used to be a source of fresh water for the village. But it suddenly dried up. Lucy seemed to jump at anything that made a noise, considering the only thing the group could hear were their own footsteps. It was too quiet for her taste. Wendy walked next to her, biting down on her lower lip to keep the gasps in. Erza was alert.

But, Natsu… he didn't look like he cared. His mind only had one thing to worry about: getting his ice mage back. Scary forests, ice-covered villages, they didn't matter at the moment. Natsu wasn't one to avoid helping a dying village—and he was going to help them. Though, only after he knew Gray was okay. Because none of them were sure. He disappeared right before their eyes, right before Natsu's eyes. And the old man said his screams stopped yesterday. _His screams._ Natsu covered his eyes with his bangs. Steam seeped from his body. _Gray, please… please be alive._

When they finally found an old, crumbling well, Natsu jumped down first. It was long and narrow and hurt his knees when he hit the ground. Ice cracked underneath his force. Natsu sniffed around, hoping to catch a scent. He could not. However, there was a large opening to what seemed to be an icy cave. Natsu shot a small flame straight up, signaling the others to jump down one by one so he could catch them.

The ice cave was dark at first. Natsu lit a fire on his finger to see. They walked for what seemed to be an eternity, each becoming more and more restless. This place was foreign to them, and they didn't know just what could jump out at them. Natsu perked up when he saw a faint light poking out from room dead ahead. He was about to dart forward, but Erza predicted his movements and grabbed onto his scarf.

"_Ack!_ Erza, let me go!" he choked, but instantly quieted down from the glare he received.

"Don't run off. We don't know what lies ahead," she ordered, narrowing her eyes at the clearing.

Light streamed through the room from a small hole in the ceiling. Like the rest of the cave, everything was covered in ice. Though, this room was colder and the air was crisp and thin. Metal cuffs lay attached to the wall and throne sat in the middle—two bodies occupying it.

Natsu froze.

Gray lay stretched out across this woman's lap as she stroked his hair. His legs hung off the side of the throne while his head tilted back on the other side. The black heart of ice latched on his chest was the same small size as before. Though, ice hearts the size of peas encircled his neck, creating a collar of murky, crooked hearts.

Natsu's breath caught in his throat, "Gray…" he barely breathed out, taking one brave step forward. Yet, the ice mage didn't glance his way. He continued to stare up at the woman running her fingers through his dark hair. His eyes looked dead—clouded by the same murky substance. His entire face was pulled into a deadpanned expression, void of all signs of life. Like a living doll.

Natsu bit his lip, unable to look at the ice mage any longer. He turned his attention to the beautiful woman holding him.

"Wha-what did you do to him? Who are you?" he demanded, clenching his hands into fists.

The woman only smiled in return. She patted Gray lightly on his bare chest and he sat up, sliding off her. He took her hand and helped her off the icy throne.

"Answer me!" Natsu growled. His fists burst into flames.

The woman raised her eyebrow at the action, her smile becoming even wider. She glanced at the three standing next to the burning man.

"Oh, what a surprise. Isn't it, my little dove?" the woman spoke, caressing Gray's face and pulling him into her body, "Your fire-dragon slayer came to greet me just as I thought he would. How considerate of him."

Gray nodded. The woman turned to the bunch and curtsied.

"I am Maeva."

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End file.
